A NEW SET-UP FOR BETTER SAFETY STANDARDS
By D. K. Arora
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) plans to establish an
International Financial for Aviation Safety (IFFAS) to enhance safety standards
globally, according to Mr. R.C. Costa Pereira, secretary general of the
Organisation.
The IFFAS would make available resources to developing and least developed
countries for being used for training of personnel, installation of
safety-related reliable and technologically advanced navigational aids and
development of maintenance facilities in the field of airworthiness. The
beneficiaries would not be allowed to use these funds for aircraft procurement
or construction of airports, he added.
ICAO saw the necessity to promote IFFAS, because major international financial
institutions had conventionally laid emphasis on social sectors such as poverty
alleviation, health, water and sanitation. Giving an estimate of the funding
required, he said that as per the current assessment based on audit reports US $
50 million was required to correct safety-related deficiencies in developing
countries which made minimum contribution to ICAO.
Mr Pereira is a former General of the Brazilian Air Force with 8000 flying hours
to his credit and has also earlier been chairman of the National Civil Aviation
Authority of Brazil and president of the Latin American Civil Aviation
Commission.
ICAO, a specialised agency of the United Nations, established in 1944, is
responsible for framing regulations for safety, security and economic air
transportation throughout the world. In the 56 years since its inception, it has
promulgated 18 regulations, called annexes, dealing with aircraft operations,
airworthiness, air meteorology, air traffic services, aviation security,
accident investigation and cargo of dangerous goods.
The assembly of ICAO, comprising all member states, introduced universal
mandatory safety oversight audit programme, which empowered it to conduct safety
audit. Initially, audit covers the area of licensing, aircraft operation and
airworthiness. As a sequel to audit, defects and deficiencies have been
identified and a comprehensive approach to rectify defects for improved safety
in aviation is presently under consideration by ICAO.
To achieve higher standards in global aviation safety, an improvement in
safety-related aviation infrastructure is an imperative for all countries,
including those identified by the United Nations as the least developed ones
which may not have the requisite funds.
ICAO's prime objective is to ensure that aviation safety receives the attention
it deserves, irrespective of a country's economic strength or priority it wishes
to accord to civil aviation. While countries which have adequate funds and
possess the necessary expertise can easily overcome the drawbacks identified in
the audit reports, ICAO is concerned about States which do not have the
financial resources to do so.
While an easier option is to bypass countries with poor civil aviation
infrastructure, it would mean shrinkage of air routes and destinations. The
other and more constructive option is to find ways and means to overcome
infrastructural deficiencies in aviation, wherever it existed. It is for this
reason that ICAO is currently engaged in setting up of an IFFAS.
India should take up a leadership role in rallying the support of the other
developing countries for the establishment of the proposed IFFAS. The assembly
of ICAO is expected to meet in September this year to discuss and endorse
proposed IFFAS. The corpus for the proposed fund is likely to be collected by
levying a fee of $ 1 (one) on every fare paying international passengers.
ICAO can collect $ 800 million from 800 million international airtickets sold
every year. Out of this, $ 50 million is required immediately to correct
safety-related deficiencies in developing countries that make minimum
contribution to the ICAO. IFFAS is expected to be set up over the next two
years.
During his recent visit to India, Mr Pereira had an exchange of views with the
Civil Aviation Minister, Mr Sharad Yadav, the Minister of State for Civil
Aviation, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta; the Civil Aviation Secretary, Mr A. H. Jung,
and officials of Air India, Indian Airlines, the DGCA and the Airports Authority
of India.
He also highlighted the enormous technical expertise that India had in the field
of civil aviation. ICAO had been drawing upon India's technical expertise from
time to time in the execution of technical cooperation projects undertaken in
developing countries. -- CNF