Policy and Standardization
Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP)
The 2017-2019 edition of the Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP), following consultation with States and international organizations, was approved by the Council and endorsed by the 39th Session of the Assembly. The GASP sets out a strategy which supports the prioritization and continuous improvement of civil aviation safety. It provides a framework for the development and implementation of regional, subregional and national plans. Through this document, ICAO promotes harmonization and coordination of efforts aimed at improving international civil aviation safety. The GASP has significantly changed since its introduction in 1997 and has evolved through continuous consultation and review. The 2017-2019 edition updates the GASP to include a global aviation safety roadmap developed to support an integrated approach to implementation.
Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS)
Demand for use of RPAS continues to grow dramatically around the globe. Regulatory authorities and air navigation services providers (ANSPs) are facing increasing pressure from RPAS operators for access to airspace, while manufacturers and related industries are demanding clear regulations for certification and operation. Work continues on the development of a remote pilot licence and of a regulatory framework to facilitate access by remotely piloted aircraft into non-segregated airspace while maintaining the existing level of safety for manned aviation.
A symposium on RPAS and remote air traffic services (ATS) was held in Stockholm, Sweden, and attended by 225 participants. The symposium raised awareness on how remote technologies are rapidly changing aviation.
Four regional workshops on RPAS, aimed at regulators, ANSPs, operators and manufacturers were conducted in Bangkok, Beijing, Lima and Stockholm.
To complement the work of the Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems Panel (RPASP), the Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Advisory Group (SUAS-AG) was established to develop guidance material for States, including best practices for national regulations, focused particularly on small UAS, i.e. unmanned aircraft weighing less than 25 kg. The online toolkit can be found on the ICAO public website.
Automatic validation of licenses
An amendment to Annex 1 — Personnel Licensing has been proposed to enable licences issued by one State to be automatically validated by other States when those States are party to a formal agreement under common licensing regulations. The amendment is planned for adoption and applicability in 2017. Formal agreements allowing for automatic validation of licences can be implemented in various regions and can improve the mobility of licensed personnel while reducing administrative costs.
Enhancing protection of accident and incident investigation records
The 38th Session of the Assembly instructed the Council, taking into account the findings and recommendations of the Safety Information Protection Task Force (SIP TF) and further work informed by the recommendation of such group, to take such steps as necessary to ensure meaningful progress toward the development of new and/or amended provisions on protection of accident and incident records in
Annex 13 — Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation, and related guidance material, before the next ordinary session of the Assembly. Accordingly, the Secretariat established the Group of Experts on Protection of Accident and Incident Records (GEPAIR) in April 2014 to finalize the recommendations of the SIP TF.
The amendments to Annex 13 proposed by GEPAIR were adopted by the Council in March 2016. Amendment 15 to Annex 13, and the recently developed guidance material Manual on Protection of Safety Information, Part I — Protection of Accident and Incident Investigation Records (Doc 10053), are intended to: enhance protection of accident and incident investigation records; provide means to protect investigation records in the custody or control of the accident investigation authority; prioritize protection of records that are more sensitive in nature, i.e. cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) and airborne image recorders (AIRs); assist States in the designation of the “competent authority” and the administration of the “balancing test”; and assist States to incorporate protections afforded in paragraph 5.12 of Annex 13 into national laws and regulations.
Competency-based training and assessment provisions
Work continued in 2016 on the development of the Manual on Air Traffic Controller Competency-based Training and Assessment (Doc 10056) and the Manual on Air Traffic Safety Electronics Personnel Competency-based Training and Assessment (Doc 10057). These two documents support the procedures introduced for air traffic controllers and air traffic safety electronics personnel (ATSEP) in the Procedures for Air Navigation Services — Training (PANS-TRG, Doc 9868) and will provide States, ANSPs and training providers with guidance on how to structure their approach to training and assessment of air traffic management (ATM) professionals so as to reap the benefits of competency-based approaches in a harmonized way. The procedures provide a flexible framework that stakeholders can adapt to any local operational context.
