CANSO honoured for improving safety and efficiency of airspace

The Hellenic Aviation Society has presented the inaugural Keramianakis Award to Jeff Poole, Director General of CANSO (the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation). The Award is given to people that have contributed to the evolution of air transport around the globe. Jeff Poole was given the award in recognition of his leadership of CANSO’s achievements in creating even safer, more efficient and better harmonised airspace for airspace users.

Speaking at the Conference and Annual General Assembly of the Hellenic Aviation Society, Ioanna Papadopoulou, President, Hellenic Aviation Society, said: “I am privileged not only to have known but to have worked with and learned a lot from Emmanuel Keramianakis. It is therefore a great honour to be offering an award In Memoriam of Emmanuel to another prominent and highly distinguished personality of the aviation sector, Jeff Poole, whom I would like to sincerely thank, on behalf of the Hellenic Aviation Society, for his presence and insightful speech during the Hellenic Aviation Society Conference and Annual General Assembly.”

Dr Kostas Iatrou, Honorary Member of the Hellenic Aviation Society added that: “We are pleased to give this award to Jeff, a true leader and a person that has moved CANSO forward.”

The Keramianakis Award honours the memory of Emmanuel Keramianakis (1939-2017), an eminent figure in the Greek civil aviation sector, who successfully represented the interests of Greece for many years with international organisations and regulators. The award is given to people that have contributed to the evolution of air transport around the globe.

Jeff Poole, Director General CANSO, said: “I am delighted to accept the Keramianakis Award as recognition of the excellent work of CANSO and the air traffic management industry towards the provision of safe, efficient and cost-effective airspace. We have achieved a lot in the past six years, not least by adhering to the strong principles of partnership and cooperation espoused by Emmanuel Keramianakis during his career.”

He added: “Such partnership is vital to ensuring safe, seamless and efficient travel for airspace users; whether at the international level with global organisations such as ACI, IATA, ICAO; or the regional level with airspace organisation and air traffic flow management initiatives; or at the national level, where air navigation service providers, airlines and airports cooperate to avoid delays and manage traffic flow efficiently. We still have much to do but will continue, like Emmanuel Keramianakis, to be guided by strong vision and principles.”

In his keynote address to the Hellenic Aviation Society, Jeff Poole spoke about the outlook for the aviation industry and the opportunities and challenges ahead, particularly for air traffic management. He highlighted the economic benefits of aviation, in particular to economies such as Greece that benefit from tourism; the importance of air traffic management in providing connectivity; the need to manage growing traffic safely and effectively and ensure adequate investment in modernising air traffic management; and managing the changing roles and skills of air traffic staff with the introduction of new, advanced technologies and processes.