40th ICAO Assembly

CANSO asked ICAO to speed up the process to provide guidance and directions to States; Industry Stakeholders and the Regions on Cyber-protection. The digitalisation of aviation in the near future and the global connection of aviation and ATM systems will provide challenges to secure the system. Failures or attacks on individual systems might affect the whole aviation system.

Currently, ICAO is working with study groups to evaluate the issue. However, CANSO believes that a well-governed body, working directly under the ICAO Council, would provide the efficiency and pace that is needed. CANSO proposes the creation of a cyber resilience, safety and security Panel under the ICAO Council, governed by the ICAO Air Transport Committee (ATC), and supported by the Committee on Unlawful Interference (UIC).

It is our recommendation that the current Secretariat Study Group on Cyber security (SSGC) and the Trust Framework Task Force (TFTF) should continue their work as working groups under the Panel.

Current demand and near term traffic forecasts accelerate the need to modernise air traffic management (ATM) globally and regionally. In this paper CANSO updated the Assembly on the key challenges that air navigation service providers (ANSPs) need to address to deliver the necessary capacity safely and efficiently, and proposes a number of actions.

CANSO also notes that the funding for upgrading ATM systems and increasing capacity is problematic for several ANSPs as their business models are not prepared for the budget cases and resources needed. For this reason CANSO suggests that ANSPs should be able to work as normal businesses.

CANSO asked the Assembly to:

• Instruct ICAO to further elaborate guidelines and best practices for the design of performance frameworks that include consideration of interdependencies between key performance areas;
• Instruct ICAO to strengthen the inter-regional cooperation between ICAO planning and implementation regional groups (PIRGs) to provide the required support to develop ANS performance enhancements;
• Request States to commit to enhancing collaboration and partnership as aviation recognises and addresses its multidisciplinary challenges ahead; and
• Urge States to facilitate appropriate funding of ATM systems and CNS infrastructure to ensure the continued efficiency and capacity to meet the expected growth in air traffic.

Required Navigation Performance – Authorization Required (RNP AR) is recognised by ICAO and can provide efficient track structure and track containment to separate aircraft from other aircraft or controlled airspace constraints. Additionally, as the vertical component of the procedure, could be geared towards continuous descent operations (CDOs) by specifying required vertical descent angles and/or altitude constraints, additional flight efficiency benefits associated with CDO could be realised.

The lateral and vertical track guidance provided by RNP AR procedures support highly efficient flight profiles, which can significantly reduce track mileage when compared to conventional, ground-based procedures.

The reduction in track mileage leads to a saving of flight time and fuel burn, with the resultant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Due to the efficient flight profiles of RNP AR procedures, a reliance on visual approaches to support airport capacity can also be removed and significantly reduce unstable approaches.

The problem at the moment is:

• Implementation of RNP AR for airlines means they will have to invest in equipment and training of pilots.
• ANSPs will have to invest in designing and approving the approaches.
• Airlines are reluctant to invest as there are not many approaches available, so a budget case is difficult
• ANSPs are reluctant to implement as not many airlines are ready to use the RNP AR approaches

For this reason CANSO provided in its paper examples of the benefits, including improving safety and efficiency and reducing fuel burn and consequently the emission of greenhouse gasses.

We asked the Assembly to:

• Take note of the efficiency that can be obtained by implementing RNP AR for ATM efficiency, and reduced flight distances, fuel burn and CO2 emissions;
• Take note of recent benefits of the application of new ICAO separation Standards incorporated into Procedures for Air Navigation Services (PANS) — Air Traffic Management (PANS-ATM, Doc 4444) specifically related to Established on RNP AR;
• Recognise the work of CANSO and its Members in introducing RNP AR;
• Instruct ICAO to create implementation guidance material for States on implementing RNP AR in Doc 9643, Manual on Simultaneous Operations on Parallel or Near-Parallel Instrument Runways based on the information referenced in this working paper; and urge all States to consider introducing RNP AR where applicable based on the expertise of CANSO and its members.

The updated ICAO Global Air Navigation Plan (GANP) provides States with good guidance on how to implement a global interoperable, seamless, harmonised air navigation system for all users which meets agreed levels of safety, provides for optimum operational efficiency, is environmentally sustainable, and meets national security requirements and air traffic growth demands.

CANSO and its members have established a comprehensive strategic framework and work programme to strengthen safety management systems (SMS) and leverage existing concepts to improve safety, predictability and operational efficiency, take a holistic approach to new technology and the integration of air traffic management (ATM) modernisation initiatives into existing systems, while building cyber-resilience and ensuring robust performance measurement.

Global implementation of the GANP is essential and a lot of States have problems regarding resources and knowledge how to implement the GANP.

CANSO and its members are ready to assist ICAO, States and Regions where necessary to work together to  promote the enhancement of ATM infrastructure, as outlined in the GANP, to ensure the continued provision of safe and efficient service to growing traffic levels.

CANSO is also co-signed 11 working papers with ACI, IATA, ICCAIA, Singapore and ATAG.

• Wp_189_Aviation’s Contribution Towards the United Nations 2030 Agenda For Sustainable Development – ATAG
• Wp_193_Industry Views on CORSIA – ATAG
• Wp_194_Industry Views on the Basket of measures and a Long-Term Goal – ATAG
• Wp_196_The Need For Standards and Guidance to Mitigate the Risks of, and to Improve Response to Unauthorised UAS Operations – ACI
• Wp_207_Future Frequency Spectrum Needs in Aviation – ICCAIA
• Wp_212_Icao Performance Measurement and Stakeholders’ Engagement – Singapore
• Wp_215_Alignment of Global, Regional and National Efforts For ATM Modernisation – Singapore
• Wp_260_Management of Noise – ACI
• Wp_268_Artificial Intelligence And Digitalization In Aviation – ICCAIA
• Wp_320_One Aviation In Facing Technological Advancement – Singapore
• Wp_342_The Safe and Efficient Integration of UAS into Airspace – IATA