CANSO’s new Director General lists top industry priorities at ICAO Air Navigation Conference

In his first public address, the newly-appointed Director General of the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) Jeff Poole called on the international aviation community assembled at the 12th ICAO Air Navigation Conference to embrace change and collaboration in order to achieve the long-held vision of a globally harmonised and interoperable air navigation system. Jeff Poole told guests attending a CANSO-hosted lunch during this once-in-a-decade ICAO event, that he will drive positive and urgent change to bring about more seamless and efficient management of the airspace. More than 1,000 delegates are anticipated during the 10-day event that will run from the 19th to the 30th November to agree a new Global Air Navigation Plan (GANP) that will guide industry planning and implementation activities over the next decade. For the first time, a new framework called the aviation system block upgrades (ASBUs), and a series of technology roadmaps, will guide the planning of ATM modernisation initiatives and synchronise development of air traffic management infrastructure globally. CANSO played a key role in identifying these operational improvements and in gaining commitment for them prior to the Conference.

CANSO is also participating in a Safety Partnership meeting led by ICAO and in a tripartite meeting with industry partners ACI and IATA to follow up on a collaboration agreement that the three parties signed in June at the CANSO Annual General Meeting

Jeff Poole, Director General of CANSO, called for more concerted effort on the part of policy-makers, regulators, operators, airports, and Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) to achieve clearly defined and measurable operational improvements. “Air traffic management today remains utterly fragmented and this fragmentation impacts on safety, operational and cost efficiency, capacity and has adverse effects on the environment,” he said. “It is not solely a technical challenge. The realisation of our collective vision requires a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach. You can count on CANSOʼs leadership and partnership in support of our common goals.” Poole is focused on delivering results that benefit global ATM performance.

The successful introduction of the new ICAO flight plan format on 15 November 2012 is positive evidence of CANSO’s partnership approach in action. CANSO regional workshops and seminars brought industry players together and CANSO joined with ICAO and IATA to establish a special coordination centre at ICAO Headquarters in Montreal to oversee the smooth transition. ANSPs manage more than 80,000 flights daily, and by adopting the improved flight plan format they have invested in a major ATM upgrade that will ultimately deliver benefits to aircraft operators. “Today, ATM faces its biggest challenge – the future. And, navigating our way forward is the challenge that I have accepted as CANSOʼs Director General. You can therefore expect CANSO’s ongoing support of our collective endeavour, while urging along our industry partners and stakeholders,” said Poole. “As a global partner, CANSO will deliver.”