Importance of International Civil Aviation Organization in Aviation Safety - Essay Example

Running head: IMPORTANCE OF ICAO IN VIEW OF AVIATION SAFETY Importance of ICAO in View of Aviation Safety Name Course Institution Date Importance of ICAO in view of aviation safety Introduction The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is an agency of the United Nations that mainly specializes in planning and developing international air transport. ICAO recommends standards of practices in air navigation that are geared towards actualizing orderly and safe development in civil aviation. The magnitude of Human issues in flight safety was formally acknowledged by ICAO when the 26th Assembly took on Resolution A26-9 in 1986. Following the Assembly Resolution, the commission for Air routing prepared the operation of the Flight protection and Human issues plan (MacKenzie, 2009). ICAO astringent States should echo on the major elements for the shortcomings of safety, in their effort to set up and put into practice an efficient safety oversight system. These key requisites are basically the safety cover apparatus of a safety oversight system and are compulsory for the success in the implementation of policies that concern safety and associated measures (Huang 2009). Concept of aviation safety Technical management, tools and the provision of safety- A huge number of concerns have been brought up on the subject of inefficient official necessities for preliminary ATC training courses. A huge section was linked to the need of proper procedures for the confirmation of conformity with safety regulatory requirements. That’s why ICAO should consider providing guidelines and the proper resources to the technical personnel to put them in a position that they will efficiently perform. Principal aviation legislation- The demand of a complete and important aviation law reliable with the situation and density of the aviation goings-on of the state and accommodating the necessities contained in the Convention on International Civil Aviation. Surveillance requirements- The carrying out of activities like inspections and reviews, to make sure that aviation license owners are influenced to meet the necessities and function at the point of competency and safety requirements by the State to carry out an aviation linked action. ICAO should think about establishing constant inspection surveillance to ensure efficiency. Specific operating policies- Ample regulations should be put in place to assume, at a least amount, national requirements originating from the primary aviation legislation and providing for regular operational measures, tools and infrastructures including safety management and training arrangement, in conformance with the recommended procedures and the standards in the Annexes to the gathering on International Civil Aviation (Dingle & Tooley, 2005). Licensing, documentation, endorsement and approval commitments- In just about twenty five percent of the deficiencies that exist in the reviewed States, complaints were launched linked to the safety oversight of changes and particularly the thorough process of reviewing of changes (Huang, 2009). Therefore systems that ensure that organizations concerned with aviation meet what is required of them before they are given licenses, ought to be established and constantly monitored. State civil aviation system and security supervision role- The association of a Civil Aviation influence and other applicable authorities or government societies, led by a Chief Executive Officer, sustained by the suitable and sufficient technical and non-technical workforce and supplied with adequate financial resources (Stolzer & Goglia et al ,2008). Declaration of safety concerns- techniques should be established to settle on well-known deficiencies concerning aviation safety, which might have been in the aviation system and have been noticed by the authoritarian and all other proper bodies (Stolzer & Goglia et al, 2008). Technical employee ability and training- ICAO should ensure minimum awareness and experience provisions for the mechanical personnel are conventional for performing safety oversight tasks and the qualification of suitable training to preserve and enhance their capability at the desired stage. Historical development of aviation safety regulations This is the consequent development and the improvement in aviation safety in general. The various developments including technical and scientific that have been the source of power for safety. The foundation of these regulations on safety can be dated back to the time aviation began. The earliest legislation put its focus on the impact of an aircraft on the ground rather than safety while on board. A few months after the circuit flight happened on board, a balloon which was the Mongolier brother’s creation was the first aerial directive that was initiated then (MacKenzie, 2009). In as much as this directive could have been initiated due to safety concerns that the aircraft could present it introduced the idea of licensing for aviation which is still practiced to date. After a little while, it was unanimous that it was necessary to have government regulation for aviation to make sure that public safety was addressed. A few people were not in agreement with the fact that the state required that all aircrafts be scrutinized to test if they are worthy to be in the air, for listing purposes in order to establish their ownership and guarantee accountability and all pilots be examined in order to ensure all passengers are safe while on board (Stolzer & Goglia et al, 2008). Soon after, it became evident that diverse nations had different requirements which brought about difficulty when these airplanes entered new air territories. This is when international codification began. France, Mexico, United States, Brazil and United Kingdom took part in the first aeronautical assembly that was held in Paris. Aviation safety matters of the legal perspective rose which included certification, the accountability of aeronauts to the passengers and the use of air crafts in war. Renewed importance of aviation safety in contemporary society Concern about safety regulations has been raised now more than ever in the contemporary society. This concern is brought about by what people see in reports and newspapers on airplane accidents and numerous other disastrous events. Moreover, the media seems to focus a lot of attention on the fatal accidents on aircrafts as compared to other transport means. A comparison was worked out by a certain ICAO navigation officer between a train accident and an aircraft to see how the public would react. He found out that very little concern was put on the rail accident stating that implementing safety measures in that case was simpler and the accident was preventable (Stolzer & Goglia et al ,2008). Little media attention was given and there was no investigation that was done. On the other hand, it was almost impossible for the aircraft accident not to be focused on. Reports came in on how the aircraft conditions were hostile despite the fact that this industry has tried its best to exercise the required standards of operation. For this reason the anxiety of the public rises and fear of traveling in hostile conditions is created (Dingle & Tooley, 2005). The level of fatality that is associated with airplanes is an additional element that instills fear in the public. Aviation is no longer viewed as the mode of traveling for people with class. Due to the important position that the civil aviation has earned in the contemporary society, aviation has now become a day to day means of transport and the number of passengers increases each year. Civil aviation also has a major role therefore making it vulnerable to terrorism. Civil aviation society has a huge responsibility in ensuring that all airplane passengers are safe from all hazards involved in traveling on air. Some of these hazards include technical breakdowns, human errors and organized terrorist attacks. These attacks are said to be the gravest threat to aviation safety. The first safety requirement is competent technical skill. A technically sound aircraft cuts down a great possibility of accidents. Aviation safety-ICAO Aviation safety has become the key agenda of ICAO due to its high level of importance. Each state, under the Chicago convention, has a special control over the airspace in its terrain and they are responsible for safety oversight inside its region. This is also applicable to all aircrafts registered there. It should be noted that the principle of complete control is not the creation of the Chicago convention and is for that reason not categorized as its accomplishment. Safety is a dynamic rather than a still notion. This is because; whatever might have been safe yesterday may not be safe today. According to the terms of ICAO, safety includes security (Huang, 2009). These terms also state that there is a difference between safety and security. Safety includes an aircraft being in good condition, licensing of personnel involved and airworthiness. On the other hand security deals with ensuring civil aviation is protected from unlawful behaviors. ICAO considers security as the most important factor in aviation. They state that an aircraft could be technically sound and licensed as per the requirements but its safety could be compromised by terrorist threats or attacks (Huang, 2009). Conclusion It is wrong to think that aviation safety is entirely a technical issue. It is more complex than what most people think. It actually involves a compound procedure of coming up and making laws that will aid in dealing with the risks involved in air travel. Safety is also an international matter that needs a keen interest and skill when approaching matters to do with it. ICAO was faced with a challenge of dealing with terrorist threats, new technology and the fact that aviation safety became a global concern that could not be dealt with within the limits of national boundaries. It therefore needs to take on a more complex role of improving aviation safety. Civil aviation society has a huge responsibility in ensuring that all airplane passengers are safe from all hazards involved in traveling on air. Some of these hazards include technical breakdowns, human errors and organized terrorist attacks (Soekkha, 1997). References Stolzer, A. & Goglia, J. et al (2008.) Safety management systems in aviation. Ashgate Publishing. New York. Huang. J. (2009).Aviation safety through the rule of law: ICAO's mechanisms and practices, Volume 5 of Aviation law and policy series, Kluwer Law International, p69. Dingle, L. & Tooley, M. (2005).Aircraft engineering principles. KU: Butterworth-Heinemann, pg 603. MacKenzie, D., (2009). ICAO: A History of the International Civil Aviation Organization. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Soekkha, H. (1997). Aviation safety: human factors, system engineering, flight operations, economics, strategies, management. New York: VSP. Read More