How aviation is working together on recovery

CANSO Director ICAO Affairs, Nico Voorbach, explains how CANSO is working with industry stakeholders to plan for aviation’s recovery from COVID-19.

As governments and aviation industry operators continue to work on managing the impact of COVID-19, collaboration between industry stakeholders is proving critical to a successful restart. CANSO is working closely with ICAO and industry partners to provide the ATM perspective and establish a framework and practical steps for recovery.

In April, CANSO was invited alongside ACI, IATA and ICCAIA to be part of ICAO’s Council Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART), working with ICAO Council Members, international organisations like the WHO and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and regional organisations like the African Union Commission, European Union, and Latin American Civil Aviation Organisation.

The CART was established to coordinate recommendations on strategic priorities and policies for States and the aviation industry to cope with challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, facilitate the restart of aviation operations in a sustainable, safe, secure and orderly manner, and build a more resilient aviation system in the longer term.

A coordinated response

Together the CART has prepared a recovery report and guidance document to harmonise the COVID-19 recovery roadmaps currently established by states, regions and industry groups, and ensure the health, safety, and security of the travelling public.

The CART Report sets out the key principles required for restart and recovery of global aviation, while Guidance for Air Travel through the COVID-19 Public Health Crisis focuses on mitigations needed to reduce public health risk to air passengers and aviation workers while strengthening confidence among the travelling public, the global supply chain including, and governments.

The series of recommendations are focused around objectives for public health, aviation safety and security, and aviation economic recovery, and are essential for managing demand for essential and non-essential air travel.

Offering the ATM perspective

CANSO’s contribution to the report provides the ATM perspective of restart and recovery and how this needs to be addressed alongside the needs and requirements of other aspects of aviation.

For example, in future editions, operational guidance needed for a coordinated increase of traffic maintaining efficiency and safety will be included. CANSO will provide expertise on the ATM measures that can help to unlock capacity and increase efficiency, including introducing measures like collaborative decision making (CDM) in coordination between all stakeholders during the increase of operations. Furthermore, CANSO will introduce guidance for ANSPs to maintain operational efficiency while keeping the staff safe and healthy.

Partnering for the future

While these are indeed uncertain times, cross-industry initiatives like the CART, and the new IATA-CANSO-IFATCA-IFALPA Safely Navigating the Industry Restart webinar series, are proving to be instrumental in sharing information and getting the aviation industry off the ground again. CANSO will continue to be a key contributor in these discussions, representing the voice of the ATM industry and highlighting the value it can deliver.

As we continue to prepare for recovery, the aviation industry will need to find ways to innovate, to safeguard key infrastructure and to encourage investment. Every stakeholder has a role to play in this and of course challenges they need to overcome, but by working together, the industry will be stronger and will continue to be resilient and reliable. I look forward to a brighter and stronger future together.