Andrew Herdman Discusses Aviation Issues at ICAO HLSC2015

More than 850 aviation safety professionals representing regulatory authorities and air transport industry stakeholders participated at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Second High-Level Safety Conference (HLSC2015), held from 2 to 5 February 2015 in Montreal, Canada.

The objective of the conference was to provide the international civil aviation community the opportunity to build consensus, obtain commitments and formulate recommendations deemed necessary for the effective and efficient progress of key aviation safety activities.

The conference covered three major themes: reviewing the current situation, the future approach to managing aviation safety and facilitating increased regional cooperation. In particular, the conference focused on emerging safety issues, including: the global tracking of aircraft, risks to civil aviation arising from conflict zones and the protection of safety information.

Andrew Herdman

Speaking at the ICAO HLSC2015, Mr. Andrew Herdman, Director General of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) said, "The ICAO High Level Safety Conference has brought together all the key stakeholders, with senior level representation from government regulators, and industry associations representing airlines, aerospace suppliers, airports, and air navigation service providers. The conference has clearly demonstrated the commitment of the global aviation community to continue working together to further enhance safety performance, and reached agreement on a number of important new initiatives to address emerging issues. As industry we are keen to move ahead with these efforts, working with governments to translate these commitments into action."

Among the challenging issues discussed, Mr. Herdman specifically welcomed the proposed adoption of a new ICAO standard on global aircraft tracking, noting that such a standard would be "performance-based, non-prescriptive and not technology limiting, meaning that global airlines would be able to meet it effectively using a range of available technologies and appropriate operating procedures developed in conjunction with other relevant service providers."

On the issue of risks to civil aviation arising from conflict zones, Mr. Herdman said, "Comprehensive safety management systems require timely and accurate information to support effective risk assessments in the face of evolving circumstances. We support the proposal by ICAO to develop a centralised repository of both factual information and evaluations of potential threats to help support comprehensive risk assessments by operators and other industry stakeholders as necessary."

Mr. Herdman concluded, "Flying has a well established reputation for safe operations, and is the safest mode of travel, with a track record of continuous improvement. Nevertheless, there is never any room for complacency, every accident brings loss and human suffering. We are therefore fully committed to further strengthening of the system of regulatory oversight. Demand for air travel is growing rapidly across the Asia Pacific region, and the quality and consistency of safety oversight needs to be strengthened accordingly. Governments need to demonstrate greater efforts towards full compliance with globally agreed ICAO standards and recommended practices, supported through the joint efforts of the region's operators, working in close partnership with regulators and other involved stakeholders."