Dominican Republic to host key air traffic management meetings
Instituto Dominicano de Aviación Civil (IDAC), the air navigation service provider of the Dominican Republic, is to host two major air traffic management (ATM) conferences in Punta Cana in October 2015 organised by the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO). ATM experts from around the globe will meet to discuss and agree measures to improve aviation safety globally; and air navigation service providers (ANSP) from the Latin America and Caribbean region will meet to discuss key issues for the region such as harmonisation of airspace, drones and cyber security.
Dr. Alejandro Herrera, Director General IDAC said: “IDAC is delighted to be hosting these important events in the Dominican Republic. As one of the main tourist destinations in the Caribbean, and with increasing numbers of visitors coming to the island from all over the world, we have expanded our air traffic infrastructure to safely manage this increasing demand. Our two new air control centres have state-of-the-art technology which we will be proud to demonstrate to the global delegates at the conferences. Safety is our number one priority and we are taking important steps to improve safety performance through the implementation of an effective safety management system. It is therefore fitting that the highly-respected CANSO Global ATM Safety Conference is taking place in our country. And we are looking forward to discussing how best to transform ATM performance in the region with ANSPs from Latin America and the Caribbean.”
The seventh annual CANSO Latin America and Caribbean Conference (18 – 20 October) brings together aviation leaders from the region, with the aim of sharing best practice and discussing the modernisation of air navigation and other matters. This high-level meeting is a unique opportunity for the Latin America and Caribbean aviation community to work and improve together. The conference will be addressing key air navigation issues including: sharing information to improve safety performance; how to incorporate remotely piloted aircraft systems (drones) into the region’s airspace; and sharing best practice on preventing cyber attacks.
The CANSO Global ATM Safety Conference (18 – 23 October) concentrates on measures that will further improve aviation safety. The conference will address issues such as: encouraging a safety culture; improving runway safety; measuring safety performance; and the lessons learned from safely managing increased air traffic during the Football World Cup and the forthcoming Olympics in Brazil.
Jeff Poole, Director General, CANSO said: “It is appropriate that these two conferences are taking place in Dominican Republic. IDAC is playing an important role in air traffic management in the region. The CANSO Latin America and Caribbean Conference will act as a platform for sharing best practice across the region and improving collaboration among air navigation service providers (ANSPs). The CANSO Global ATM Safety Conference will discuss and agree strategies, methods, tools and ideas to improve aviation safety.”
CANSO established its Latin America and Caribbean region in 2010 to set priorities, drive ATM harmonisation, modernisation and serve as a focal point for industry collaboration. Since then, CANSO has increased the number of ANSP Members in the region from two to nine and continues to grow steadily. CANSO Latin America and Caribbean Members are: COCESNA (Central America), DC-ANSP (Curacao), DECEA (Brazil), DGCTA (Argentina), Federal Aviation Administration (USA), IDAC (Dominican Republic), OFNAC (Haiti), SENEAM (Mexico), and Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority.
