Aviation partners launch training initiative to prepare for new runway safety standard

Montreal, Canada, 28 April 2021 – Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO), International Air Transport Association (IATA) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have launched a virtual training initiative to help air navigation services providers (ANSP) improve runway safety.

CANSO, IATA and ICAO have today launched a virtual training course on the ICAO Global Reporting Format for Runway Surface Conditions (GRF).  The GRF sets out new ICAO methodology for assessing and reporting runway surface conditions aimed at improved flight crew assessment of take-off and landing performance. It goes into effect on 4 November 2021.

The online course is specifically designed to meet training requirements for air traffic controllers, aeronautical information service staff and civil aviation authority representatives. It requires approximately three hours of study to be completed over six months.

“We are thrilled to be launching this new training initiative with IATA and ICAO. The GRF is coming into effect in six months’ time, and we’re keen to ensure the industry is prepared for this. This training course will explain the requirements and processes for effective runway condition assessment and reporting, and ultimately help ANSPs and civil aviation authorities enhance runway safety worldwide,” said Simon Hocquard, Director General CANSO.

On establishing the partnership between ICAO, CANSO and IATA to implement this training course, ICAO SG Dr. Fang Liu remarked: “Runway safety continues to remain aviation’s biggest safety challenge, representing more than half of all accidents reported to ICAO for commercial operations. We have been collaborating in recent years on numerous initiatives to reduce runway safety-related accidents and incidents worldwide, and the hard work undertaken to forge international consensus on the new GRF, in addition to this new collaborative training course supporting it, should help to deliver substantial runway safety performance improvements.”

‘’The new globally-harmonised runway surface condition reporting format will further improve safety, which is always the number one priority in aviation. The collaborative approach taken by IATA, ICAO and CANSO to ensure stakeholder training on this subject will lead to further risk mitigating,” said Gilberto Lopez Meyer, IATA’s Senior Vice President Safety & Flight Operations.

More information and registration is available here.