The Assembly agreed to urge States to assess any related national objectives in accordance with ICAO’s policies, and to conduct appropriate cost-benefit analyses before the introduction of taxes on air transport.
MONTREAL – Decisions in the area of Economic Development of Air Transport at ICAO’s 40th Assembly this year endorsed that the UN agency should continue to promote the important socio-economic benefits of air transport.
Related objectives regarding the ICAO work programme for new aviation infrastructure/system financing, and the economics of airports and air navigation services, were also supported.
Concerning the taxation of international air transport, the Assembly agreed to urge States to assess any related nationalobjectives in accordance with ICAO’s policies, and to conduct appropriate cost-benefit analyses before the introduction of taxes on air transport.
The Assembly also endorsed a range of items supporting the ICAO Long-term Vision for International Air Transport Liberalization. Specific work items in this area included forging a more detailed understanding of the benefits of liberalization and barriers to opening market access, both in terms of passenger and cargo services. The Assembly also called for the continuation of ICAO’s work to develop a Convention on Foreign Investment in Airlines.
“These endorsements by our Member States will be essential to how ICAO continues to raise global awareness on the important links between air connectivity and sustainable socio-economic development,” stressed ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu. “And I was also encouraged that the momentum toward greater air transport liberalization continues to accelerate.”
With respect to ICAO’s work to develop robust aviation data, monitoring and analysis, the Assembly endorsed new objectives for ICAO in the areas of statistics, big data analytics, forecasting and economic analysis, and the development of an aviation satellite account methodological framework.
In terms of global air transport consumer protection, the Assembly encouraged States to apply the ICAO Core Principles on consumer protection in their regulatory practices, and urged them to sign and ratify the Montreal Convention of 1999. It was also agreed that ICAO should facilitate an exchange of views and good practices regarding the application of the ICAO Core Principles.
The Assembly also agreed that ICAO should provide technical expertise and support for the implementation of the Ministerial Declaration and Framework for a Plan of Action for Air Transport and Tourism Development in Africa, and furthermore that it should establish a new Global Aviation Competitiveness Index.
Another development relating to aviation’s positive economic impacts at this year’s Assembly was the release of the new edition of the Industry High-level Group’s Aviation Benefits report.
Call for long-term aviation emissions target, CORSIA support, and new CAEP supersonics study among key environmental protection outcomes at 40th ICAO Assembly
Important civil aviation Environmental Protection outcomes were established this year at the 40th ICAO Assembly, including the strengthening of international resolve to move forward on the implementation of the CORSIA emissions offsetting solution for international flights and the basket of measures of environmental protection to reduce emissions.
States’ decisions relevant to CORSIA included advancing work supporting CORSIA-eligible fuels and emissions units, progressing the structure of the CORSIA central registry, and the continuation of ICAO’s ACT CORSIA capacity-building initiative, which has been of tremendous assistance to many national governments.
With the 40th Assembly taking place during a period characterized by the world’s largest ever climate marches -including one which passed right before ICAO’s doorstep on 27 September led by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg- it was recognized as an encouraging signal that governments reconfirm their resolve in support of the CORSIA global offsetting solution.
While highlighting the successful adoption of the new fourth volume to Annex 16, and the ICAO-driven development and implementation of 116 State Action Plans to reduce aviation-related CO2 emissions, further ICAO Assembly decisions called for prioritization of a long-term global aspirational goal for international aviation CO2 emissions reduction, and the need for further elaboration of the 2050 ICAO Vision on Sustainable Aviation Fuel.
States also acknowledged the excellent progress recently achieved through ICAO on the first aeroplane CO2 emissions standard, and the non-volatile Particulate Matter standard for aircraft engines. They also called for ICAO’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) to prioritize an exploratory study on environmental impacts of new supersonic aircraft being developed.
At the conclusion of the 40th Assembly on Friday evening, States acknowledged the crucial leadership of the President of the ICAO Council, Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, towards achieving these outcomes. A number of States took the floor of the Assembly to stress the importance of an inclusive and sustainable approach to the development of the global civil aviation system, and thanked Dr. Aliu for his personal commitment in this regard.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
