International Civil Aviation Day

ICAO News Centre
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL OF ICAO MR. ROBERTO KOBEH GONZÁLEZ ON THE OCCASION OF INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION DAY
Posted: 03 Dec 2010 11:29 AM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

International aviation has a long history of helping to create and preserve friendship and understanding among the nations and peoples of the world.

Celebrated annually on 7 December, International Civil Aviation Day highlights the economic and social contribution of air transport to our global society.

The theme of this year’s event is “Safe, secure and sustainable aviation for our planet”.

With 2.3 billion passengers a year on more than 26 million flights worldwide, air transport is by far the safest mode of mass transportation ever created.

In the spirit of continuous improvement aimed at enhancing safety even further, our work never ends. Today, attention is focused on the greater sharing of information among governments and industry to identify and resolve potential safety issues before they become accidents.

The profile of aviation demands that the most comprehensive and effective security systems are developed and employed. Terrorism is a global problem that requires global solutions implemented in a harmonized manner around the world. ICAO assures that the systems constantly evolve as the threats change.

States and industry are committed to working together in tightening security measures while simplifying procedures to reduce the burden on both passengers and airlines. Every effort is made to prevent illegal acts against aviation, passengers and cargo, and the full force of the legal system is brought to bear on those involved.

Aviation represents a minor source of greenhouse gas emissions, yet has demonstrated its global leadership by adopting the first shared global commitment to increase fuel efficiency and stabilize global CO2 emissions in the medium-term at a sectoral level.

Looking forward, aviation aims at a 2 per cent annual fuel efficiency improvement up to the year 2050, a CO2 standard for aircraft by 2013, market-based measures for limiting emissions, and support for States in implementing their action plans to contribute to the global effort. Combined with other technical, operational and political commitments, aviation is well on its way to building a carbon neutral future.

Uniting aviation has been the mission of ICAO since its creation in 1944. Given the complexity and scope of the challenges, governments and industry must leverage the same high degree of collaboration and effort that has been the hallmark of ICAO throughout its history. Only by working together can the collective goal of “Safe, secure and sustainable aviation for our planet” be maintained.

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