ICAO 40th Assembly: IATA raises high expectations
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expressed high expectations for the outcomes of the 40th Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), that began yesterday in Montreal, Canada.
Consequently, the clearing house for global airlines has equally encouraged ICAO member states to continue to support the industry’s efforts to address its climate change impacts would be at the top of the agenda.
Director-General and CEO of IATA, Alexandre de Juniac disclosed that three years ago, ICAO member states achieved an historic agreement to implement a Carbon Offset and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
He noted that the whole aviation industry welcomed this significant commitment as part of the overall approach to meaningfully mitigate the industry’s climate change impact.
”Today, CORSIA is a reality with airlines tracking their emissions. Unfortunately, there is a real risk that CORSIA will be undermined by governments piling on additional carbon pricing instruments. They are branded ’green taxes‘but we have yet to see any funds allocated to actually reducing carbon. CORSIA was agreed as the single global economic measure to achieve carbon-neutral growth by generating $40 billion in climate funding and offsetting around 2.5 billion tonnes of CO2 between 2021 and 2035. Governments need to focus on making that commitment a success.”
Speaking on deployment of drones, the IATA chief said, “By 2023, drone operations in the US alone could triple according to some estimates. And the general trend is the same worldwide. The challenge is to achieve this potential safely. The safety of civil aviation is the model. Industry and governments must work in partnership on the global standards and innovations needed to safely achieve the tremendous potential of drones”.
De Junaic reiterated that IATA, in cooperation with CANSO and the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations (IFALPA) submitted a working paper calling on states to work together through ICAO and in cooperation with industry to develop provisions for these airspace new entrants.
Speaking on passengers and disabilities, the airline industry, he said is committed to improving the air travel experience for the estimated one billion people living with disabilities worldwide.
He stated that airlines reaffirmed this commitment in a resolution IATA’s 2019 Annual General Meeting.
He noted that the industry’s ability to ensure that passengers living with disability can travel safely and with dignity–in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities–is being undermined by a steady increase in national/regional disability policies that are either not harmonized or are in direct conflict with each other.
“With aging populations, the number of people traveling with disabilities is growing and will continue to do so. To travel with confidence, they rely on consistent measures applied globally. And a harmonized global framework is equally essential for airlines to serve their customers with disabilities in a safe, secure, efficient and consistent manner,” said de Juniac.
Furthermore, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calls for targeted actions related to persons with disabilities by businesses, including in the transport sector.
IATA has submitted a working paper asking states to reaffirm that a harmonized approach to the work on accessibility in aviation is a contributor to the achievement of the UN SDGs.
It also recommends that ICAO develop a work program on accessibility for passengers with disabilities that includes a review of relevant ICAO standards and recommended practices and policy manuals, with due consideration to the IATA core principles on disabled passengers.
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