CANSO announces UAE declaration

CANSO, the Global Voice of ATM, has today issued its ‘UAE Declaration’, a statement announcing plans to undertake a Joint Middle East Airspace Study and develop a coordinated approach to optimising the region’s airspace structure.

CANSO Director General Graham Lake

The declaration was developed by the Association’s Middle East CEO Coordination Committee (MEC3) and endorsed at the High Level Meeting on 17 January. It recognises the critical role aviation plays in the economic prosperity of the Middle East and beyond, while drawing attention to the importance of addressing air transport capacity challenges.

The High Level Meeting attracted leaders from many of the region’s aviation stakeholders, including ANSPs, CAAs, airlines, airports, and the military. Industry bodies such as AACO, IATA, ICAO and JATCA also took part.

Speaking from the CANSO Middle East Conference in Abu Dhabi, CANSO Director General Graham Lake said:

“The Joint Middle East Airspace Study represents a further step toward improving operational efficiency, and safeguarding the economic well-being of the region. It builds on the valuable work already undertaken by ICAO and ANSPs by taking a collaborative regional approach to measuring performance, identifying areas for improvement, and developing solutions to address the Middle East’s capacity challenges.

As well as a representing a major milestone in delivering the region’s RED SEA Vision to ‘Realise, Enhance and Develop Seamless Efficient Airspace’, the Study marks a significant step forward in facilitating further connectivity with other growing aviation regions, such as Africa and Europe.

Work is currently underway to develop the scope of the Study, which will be completed in March, while the final findings will be presented at our Middle East Conference in Cairo, Egypt one year from now.”

To access the UAE Declaration, visit www.canso.org/middleeast/uaedeclaration