International Civil Aviation Organization

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) (in English: International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO) is an agency of the United Nations Organization created in 1944 by the Convention on International Civil Aviation to study the problems of international civil aviation and promote unique regulations and standards in world aeronautics. It is run by a permanent council based in Montreal, Canada.

The agreement prior to the establishment of an international civil aviation organization was drawn up by the International Civil Aviation Conference, held in Chicago from November 1 to December 7, 1944, which entered into force on April 4, 1947. A Provisional Organization for International Civil Aviation was in operation from June 6, 1945 until ICAO was officially founded.

History

ICAO's predecessor was the International Commission for Air Navigation (ICAN). It held its first convention in 1903 in Berlin, Germany, but no agreements were reached among the eight countries that attended. At the second convention in 1906, also held in Berlin, Germany, 27 countries attended. The third convention, held in London, UK in 1912, assigned the first radio call signs for use by aircraft. ICAN continued to function until 1945.

Fifty-two countries signed the Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the Chicago Convention, in Chicago, Illinois, on December 7, 1944. Under its terms, a Provisional International Civil Aviation Organization (PICAO) would be established, which would in turn be replaced by a permanent organization when 26 countries ratified the Convention. Consequently, PICAO began to operate on June 6, 1945, replacing ICAN. The 26th country ratified the Convention on March 5, 1947, and consequently, on April 4, 1947, PICAO was replaced by ICAO, which began operations on the same day. In October 1947, ICAO became an agency of the United Nations Organization linked to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC).

In April 2013, Qatar offered to serve as the Organization's new permanent headquarters. Qatar promised to build a massive new headquarters for ICAO and cover all relocation costs, claiming that Montreal "was too far from Europe and Asia", "had cold winters", was difficult to to attend due to the Canadian government's refusal to provide visas in a timely manner and that the ICAO-imposed taxes on Canada were too high. According to The Globe and Mail, Qatar's move was at least partly motivated by pro-Israel foreign policy. by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. About a month later, Qatar withdrew its offer following a separate proposal to the ICAO Governing Council to move the ICAO triennial conference to Doha, which was defeated by a vote of 22–14..

Objectives

1. Promote the arts to design air routes, airports and support for aviation in international civil aviation.
2. To meet the needs of the peoples of the world in terms of safe, regular, efficient and economic air transportation.
3. Avoid the waste of economic resources due to unfair competition.
4. Guarantee international security.
5. Avoid bias between contracting States.
6. Promote the safety of flights in international air navigation.
7. Promoting development.

Statute

The 9th edition of the Convention on International Civil Aviation includes amendments from 1948 to 2006. ICAO refers to its current edition of the Convention as the Statute and designates it as ICAO Document 7300/9. The Convention contains 19 annexes that are listed by title in the article Convention on International Civil Aviation.

Members

ICAO member States

As of April 2019, there are a total of 193 ICAO Member States; the island of Dominica became the 193rd State to accede to the Convention on International Civil Aviation on March 14, 2019;; Tuvalu acceded to the Convention, as State No. 192, as of November 18, 2017. The Cook Islands joined the Convention in 1986, although they are an Associate State of New Zealand, a country that represents them before the Organization of The United Nations. The Principality of Liechtenstein is not part of the Chicago Convention, although it is part of the UN, but has delegated its representation before ICAO to the Swiss government.

Taiwan attended the 38th Session of the ICAO Assembly in 2013, but was denied such an invitation in 2016 (possibly due to political pressure from the PRC), despite expressions of support from States United States for Taiwan to participate. However, the ROC under the name of Chinese Taipei is a member of the International Air Transport Association.

Operation

The supreme body of ICAO is the Assembly, and the executive body is the Council (made up of thirty-six states); both have their world headquarters in Montreal (Canada) and at the European level in Paris. All ICAO Contracting States are represented in the Assembly. Its meetings review the work carried out by the Organization in the technical, legal, economic and technical assistance fields, and set the guidelines for future work of the other ICAO bodies. This assembly will be held at least once every three years. The president is elected by the Council but does not have to be a member of that body. ICAO has its own Secretariat, headed by a Secretary General appointed by the Council. It also has several Standing Committees. The organization also maintains offices in different countries.

Tip

The ICAO Council is elected by the Assembly every 3 years and consists of 36 members divided into three categories. The 41st Session of the ICAO Assembly elected the following States as members of the Council for the period 2022-2025:

PART I (States of greatest importance in air transport): Germany*, Australia*, Brazil*, Canada*, China*, United States*, France*, Italy*, Japan* and UK*.

PART II (States that contribute the most to providing facilities and services for international civil air navigation): Saudi Arabia*, Argentina*, Austria, Egypt*, Spain*, India*, Iceland, Mexico*, Nigeria*, Singapore*, South Africa* and Venezuela.

PART III (States that ensure geographical representation): Bolivia, Chile, El Salvador, United Arab Emirates*, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea*, Ghana, Jamaica, Malaysia*, Mauritania, Qatar, Republic of Korea*, Romania and Zimbabwe.

Note: * indicates a re-election.

Commissions

The technical functions of the Council are carried out through a series of commissions:

• Aeronavigation Commission
• Air Transport Committee
• Committee on Collective Assistance
• Finance Committee
• Staff Committee
• Committee on Legal Interference in Civil Aviation and its Facilities and Services
• Technical Cooperation Committee
• Legal Committee

Standards

ICAO is also in charge of standardizing certain functions necessary for airline activities, such as the Aeronautical Message Transmission System. (AMHS) This makes it a standardization association.

Each country must have access to the so-called aeronautical information publications (AIP), based on the standards defined by ICAO; where essential information for air navigation is included. These publications must be updated by each country every 28 days and also include definitive regulations on airports and airspace. According to the ICAO, temporary dangers for air navigation must be published using the so-called NOTAMs (Notice to Air Men).

An International Standard Atmosphere (also known as the ICAO Standard Atmosphere) is defined by ICAO as a model of standard variation of pressure, temperature, density and viscosity as a function of altitude in the Earth's atmosphere. This can be very useful in instrument calibration and aircraft design.

Another of the activities carried out by ICAO is the standardization of automatic reading passports through the use of automatic readers in airports distributed throughout the world. These passports contain a small region of information, which contains lines of alphanumeric code, printed in such a way that it is possible to read them using optical character reading techniques. This allows border control authorities and other agencies to process such passports almost automatically, without having to manually enter the information into their computers. The ICAO publishes the so-called Doc. 9303 Machine Readable Travel Documents, which establishes the standards for this type of machine readable documents. More recently, standards for biometric passports have been defined. Said document contains biometric zones that allow the verification of the identity of the passengers. This information is included on a small RFID chip, similar to the storage of information on data storage smart cards. It is also possible to include certain types of information such as a digital signature that guarantees the security of the information contained in the passport.

Finally, ICAO is actively involved in infrastructure management, including communication, navigation, and air traffic management, through the use of digital technologies (such as satellite systems with various levels of automation) in order to maintain efficient management. global air traffic without interruptions or irregularities.

Aerodrome reference code

Posts

Annexes

During the Chicago Conference, technical annexes to the agreement were drafted. Some are standard and are the minimum mandatory for all states signatories to the Chicago Convention. Others are articulated as acceptable recommendations to a greater or lesser extent by the countries. ICAO annexes cover virtually all aspects of air transport and deal with fundamental technical issues for its standardization and regulation.

• Annex 1 Staff licenses. It defines the recommended rules and methods for licensing and licensing of aviation personnel (pilots, other crew members, operational and maintenance).
• Annex 2 Air regulations. It sets out the recommended rules and methods that States should follow in terms of general rules of flight and use of airspace.
• Annex 3 Weather Service for International Air Navigation. It contains the recommended standards and methods for the provision of meteorological information necessary for the performance of the functions of the operators, members of the flight crew, air transit units, search and rescue services units, aviation managers and other stakeholders in the development of international air navigation.

Part I - Basic SARPS.

Part II - Appendixes and attachments.

• Annex 4 Air charters. Establish the norm and methods recommended for the design, dissemination and availability of aeronautical cartography.
• Annex 5 Action units to be used in air and ground operations. It has the use of a standardized system of measuring units based on the International Unit System (IS) and other units that do not belong to this system but whose use is considered necessary for international air navigation.
• Annex 6 Aircraft operation. Determine the recommended rules and methods related to the requirements, conditions and limitations of aircraft operation according to each authorized operator type.

Part I - International commercial air transport - Aircraft.

Part II - International general aviation - Aircraft.

Part III - International operations – Helicopters.

• Annex 7 Nationality and registration marks for aircraft. It contains the recommended rules and methods that States should address regarding registration and nationality of civil aircraft.
• Annex 8 Aeronavegability. It sets out the recommended standards and methods to be met at least for the certification and inspection of aircraft.
• Annex 9 Facilitation. It collects the recommended rules and methods that States should follow in order to remove obstacles to free transit of passengers, goods and mail in international air transport.
• Annex 10 Air telecommunications. It has the recommended standards and methods for the use of telecommunications equipment, radio spectrum, air communications procedures and international air navigation assistance.

Volume I - Radioayudas para la navegación.

Volume II - Communications procedures even those with PANS category.

Volume III - Communication Systems.

Part I - Digital data communication systems.

Part II - Voice communication systems.

Volume IV - Monitoring radar system and anticolision system.

Volume V - Use of the air radio frequency spectrum.

• Annex 11 Air transit services. It establishes the recommended rules and methods for the establishment and maintenance of air transit services (air traffic control, flight and alert information).
• Annex 12 Search and rescue. It defines the recommended rules and methods to be followed by States for the organization and operation of units to provide search and rescue services for endangered aircraft.
• Annex 13 Investigation of accidents and aviation incidents. It contains the recommended standards and methods related to the development of accident and aviation incident research, as well as procedures for notifications and preparation of the respective reports.
• Annex 14 Airfields. Specifies the recommended standards and methods for the design and operation of airfields.

Volume I - Airfield design and operations.

Volume II - Helipads.

• Annex 15 Air information services. Set the recommended standards and methods related to the collection and dissemination of aviation information relevant to international air navigation.
• Annex 16 Environmental protection. It defines the recommended standards and methods for reducing the environmental effects produced by noise of aircraft and carbon emissions to the atmosphere of aircraft engines.

Volume I - Aircraft noise.

Volume II - Emission of aircraft engines.

Volume III - CO2 emissions from aircraft.

Volume IV - Plan for compensation and reduction of carbon for international aviation (CORSIA).

• Annex 17 Security – Protection of international civil aviation against acts of unlawful interference. It sets out the recommended standards and methods that States should follow in order to protect the safety of passengers, crew, land personnel and the general public, safeguarding civil aviation against acts of unlawful interference, and responding quickly to any growing threat to security.
• Annex 18 Safe transport of dangerous goods by air. It has the recommended standards and methods regarding the safety controls required for the airlift of goods considered dangerous.
• Annex 19 Operational security management. It identifies the recommended standards and methods to be followed by States and aircraft operators in the management functions of the operational processes that support the safe operation of aircraft.

SARPS

SARPs are the international standards and recommended practices, basic content of the Annexes (acronym for "Standard and Recommended Practices").

The standard is "any specification of physical characteristics, configuration, material, performance, personnel or procedure, the uniform application of which is considered necessary for the safety or regularity of international air navigation and to which, in accordance with the Convention, the Contracting States shall adjust. In the event that compliance is impossible, Article 38 of the Agreement stipulates that it is mandatory to make the corresponding notification to the Council".

A Recommended Practice is "any specification of physical characteristics, configuration, material, performance, personnel or procedure, the uniform application of which is considered desirable for reasons of safety, regularity or efficiency of international air navigation, and to which, in accordance with the Convention, the contracting States will try to adjust".

To verify that the Contracting States apply the SARPs, in 1999 ICAO created the "Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program", USOAP, which consists of a series of periodic and obligatory operational audits carried out by carried out by the Organization in each and every one of said States.

Other documents

PANS: The Procedures for Air Navigation Services include operating methods and instructions that are too detailed to be considered standards or recommended practices. They usually develop the fundamental principles formulated in the SARPs. In addition, the specifications must be applied globally.

SUPS: Regional Supplementary Procedures exist to meet the specific needs of each region.

Guidance Materials: These are documents that are published as attachments to Annexes or in separate documents such as manuals and circulars. They are intended to complement the SARPs and PANS.

Regional distribution

ICAO Headquarters

The main function of the different ICAO Regional Offices is to draft and maintain updated Regional Air Navigation Plans.

Regions and location of the different venues

• West Africa (Dakar, Senegal)
• Africa - Indian Ocean (Nairobi, Kenya)
• Europe (Paris, France)
• Africa (Cairo, Egypt)
• Central Headquarters (Montreal, Canada)
• South America (Lima, Peru)
• East and Oceania (Bangkok, Thailand)
• North America (Mexico City, Mexico)

Address

List of Secretaries General

Secretary	Proceedings	Period
Juan Carlos Salazar Gómez	Colombia	2021–Update
Fang Liu	China	2015–2021
Raymond Benjamin	France	2009–2015
Taïeb Chérif	Algeria	2003-2009
Renato Claudio Costa Pereira	Brazil	1997-2003
Philippe Rochat	Switzerland	1991–1997
Shivinder Singh Sidhu	India	1988-1991
Yves Lambert	France	1976-1988
Assad Kotaite	Lebanon	1970-1976
Bernardus Tielman Twigt	Netherlands	1964-1970
Ronald MacAllister Macdonnell	Canada	1959-1964
Carl Ljungberg	Sweden	1952–1959
Albert Roper	France	1944-1951

List of Council Presidents

Chairman	Proceedings	Period
Salvatore Sciacchitano	Italy	2020–2025
Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu	Nigeria	2013–2019
Roberto Kobeh González	Mexico	2006–2013
Assad Kotaite	Lebanon	1976–2006
Walter Binaghi	Argentina	1957-1976
Edward Pearson Warner	United States	1947-1957

ICAO Code

Both ICAO and IATA have their own aerodrome naming system. In the case of the ICAO with a century of 4 letters and in the case of the IATA of 3 letters. The ICAO reference code is based on the region and country in which the aerodrome is located, for example Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport has an ICAO code of LFPG, where L indicates Southern Europe, F, France, PG, Paris de Gaulle, while Paris-Orly Airport has the code LFPO (the third letter sometimes refers to the specific flight information region or the last two letters may also be arbitrary). In most countries, the ICAO and IATA codes are not related; for example, Charles de Gaulle airport is assigned an IATA code of CDG. However, the location prefix for the United States is K and the ICAO code usually uses this prefix as well. For example, the ICAO code for Los Angeles International Airport is KLAX. Canada uses a similar system, where a C is added to an IATA code to create an ICAO code. For example, Calgary International Airport is assigned the century YYC or CYYC. (By contrast, airports located in Hawaii and the Pacific region are assigned ICAO codes beginning with PH; Kona International Airport's code is PHKO. Similarly, in Alaska codes begin with PA. Merrill Field, for example will be PAMR). It is important to note that not all existing aerodromes are assigned codes in both systems; for example, airports that are not served by airlines do not need an IATA code.

ICAO also assigns a 3-letter airline code (in contrast, IATA assigns a 2-letter code such as UAL vs. UA for United Airlines). ICAO also provides telephone identifiers to aircraft operators around the world with one or two words commonly used by radio, similar to the name of the aircraft operator. For example, the international identifier for Japan Airlines is JAL and the carrier name is Japan Air while for Aer Lingus it is EIN and Shamrock. Therefore, a Japan Airlines flight number 111 would be referred to as "JAL 111" and pronounced as "Japan one one one" via radio while an Aer Lingus flight with the same number would be designated "EIN 11" and pronounced "Shamrock one one one". In the United States, FAA practices require that the numerical digits of the denominator be read in a group format ("Japan Air one eleven" on the above example) while individual digits are used to number flights. unexpected civilians. ICAO maintains aircraft registration standards, including alphanumeric codes to identify the country of registration. For example, the registration number for aircraft registered in the United States begins with N. ICAO is also responsible for detecting alphanumeric aircraft codes containing two to four characters. These codes give the identification that is normally used in flight plans. The Boeing 747 would use B741, B742, B743, etc., depending on the specific variant.

CNS/ATM systems

CNS/ATM (Communication Navigation Surveillance / Air Traffic Management, Communication, Navigation, Surveillance / Air Traffic Management) are communication, navigation and surveillance systems that use digital technologies, including satellite systems along with various levels of automation, applied as support for an imperceptible global air traffic management system. It was born as a solution to be adopted in all countries and airlines in the world, which would have the same satellite navigation and communication systems (Communication, navigation, surveillance and air traffic management). The system was conceived by the International Civil Aeronautics Organization (ICAO), who in 1983 created the FANS Committee (Future Air Navigation Systems Committee) that studied the avionics and air traffic management conditions necessary to operate in the new demand..

ICAO and climate change

Emissions produced by international aviation are specifically excluded from the targets set by the so-called Kyoto Protocol. Instead, the agreement invites the most developed countries to try to achieve the limitation or reduction through the International Civil Aviation Organization. The ICAO environmental management committee continues to consider the potential improvement that the use of market-based measurements may bring in the form of additional charges, however it is unlikely that such measures will be adopted internationally. Currently, this committee is in charge of developing guidelines for states and airlines that want to include aviation in an emissions mitigation plan that allows them to achieve the targets set in Kyoto.

On the other hand, the emissions produced by regular aviation are included in said protocol. This has meant the development of certain emission reduction policies as additional costs for emissions in countries such as the Netherlands and Norway. Even so, there is still no restriction on the use of kerosene on international flights.

International Aviation Agreement on CO2 Emissions, October 2016

On October 6, 2016, ICAO formalized an agreement among its 191 members with the objective of reducing the more than 1000 tons of carbon dioxide emitted annually by international passenger and cargo transport flights. This agreement will use an action scheme called CORSIA (the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation) so that all kinds of activities to reduce carbon emissions are directly financed by the sector. Although this action scheme will not come into force until 2021 and will be voluntary until 2027, some countries such as the US and China have committed to complying with it by 2020. It is intended to reduce the emissions registered to date by 80% to 2035.

It should be noted that the agreement contains some critical points, such as that it is not in accordance with the agreement for the protection of climate change signed in 2015, said agreement aims to reduce global warming from 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius. CORSIA will only regulate around 25% of the total emissions since although an initial version of the agreement required international aviation to measure emissions, this restriction was removed from the final agreed version. Some large emitters such as Russia or India will not be controlled and many countries have not agreed to participate in the voluntary period of the agreement.

Aircraft accident investigation

Most accident investigations are carried out by agencies directly related to the country where the accident occurred. ICAO has been commissioned to carry out three investigations relating to air accidents.

1. Flight 114 Libyan Arab Airlines: this flight was shot down by the Israeli armed forces on 21 February 1973 on the Sinai Peninsula during a period of political tension (Yom Kipur War) which resulted in the death of 108 passengers.
2. Korean Air Lines Flight 007: shot down on 1 September 1983 on Moneron Island east of Sakhalin Island during a cold war period in the region, the death of 269 people.
3. Flight UTA 772: was destroyed by a bomb on 19 September 1989 on the Sahara Desert in Nigeria. The device exploded in full flight ending the lives of 156 passengers and 15 crew members.