ICAO adopts CANSO guidance on restart and recovery measures
During its 221st session on Monday 9 November, the ICAO Council endorsed updates to the Council Aviation Recovery Taskforce (CART) guidance for States and Industry, which included submissions from CANSO on supporting air traffic management (ATM).
CANSO has worked closely with ICAO, together with industry partners ACI, IATA and ICCAIA, to ensure the industry is fully represented and aligned on restart and recovery measures. Updates to the guidance include information shared by CANSO, such as the COVID-19 Restart and Recovery Guide.
CANSO welcomes the updates to the CART Take-off guidance and the harmonisation it encourages within States to support the aviation industry during this pandemic.
CANSO has called on the ICAO Council to continue to evaluate, and if necessary update, the documentation as developments in the pandemic and consequences for the aviation industry change based on the possible availability of a vaccine.
On Tuesday 10 November the CANSO Director General, Simon Hocquard, presented at the ICAO Council during an informal briefing on the State of the industry. He stated:
“While we have not achieved standardised measures around the world, the work of the CART continues to provide practical guidance to governments and industry that has greatly improved the situation. I believe the Testing and Cross-Border Risk Management Measures Guidance Manual will serve as an important resource to States. And providing that guidance will undoubtedly continue to support the recovery of air travel and global connectivity and the important economic and social contribution it makes. We hope that ICAO will take active measures to educate and inform States on this work and to encourage its adoption.”
He continued: “Over the next months the CART must be increasingly agile in updating guidance as new testing technologies evolve and working with the WHO and other agencies on procedures as vaccines emerge. Studies that are ongoing will point to emerging best practices that will enable the safe resumption of travel. We need processes in place to adopt our existing guidance to reflect that.”
CANSO will continue to support ICAO and our industry partners to create the needed coordination for a safe recovery of passenger air travel and the aviation industry.
