The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is urging governments to be flexible regarding their approaches to the validity of certifications and licenses of aviation service providers and personnel while also adhering to the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
In a new state letter issued April 3, ICAO pointed national governments to new measures aimed at ensuring safe operations during COVID-19, and to a contingency coordination website it will establish through March 31, 2021 to guide states in coordinating their approaches on validity issues.
The state letter issued by ICAO secretary general Dr. Fang Liu comes as more and more aviation service providers and personnel globally are facing challenges with maintaining the validity of their certifications, licenses, and other types of official operating approvals.
“Many of the related challenges are resulting directly from the social distancing guidelines, current business closures, and other public health measures being taken to mitigate the spread and societal impact of COVID-19,” she said.
“There are approximately 650,000 licensed personnel supporting commercial air transport worldwide. If a fraction of those personnel is affected by the pandemic measures, the potential for the disruption may be significant,” Dr. Liu added.
To facilitate safe operations, she encouraged states “to be flexible in their approaches while at the same time adhering to their obligations under the Convention on International Civil Aviation.”
ICAO noted that a number of states are taking various actions to enable service providers and personnel to maintain the validity of their certificates, licenses, and other approvals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
All ICAO member states were urged to indicate whether they would be recognizing or accepting the validity of certificates and licenses now being affected by the public health measures being implemented in other states.
Liu also urged states to record and inform ICAO of any contraventions or “differences” currently arising against provisions on certifications and licenses of the Convention during the current contingency period.
ICAO is also establishing the contingency coordination website to provide guidance for states on being flexible while also adhering to the Convention.
“All States are encouraged to make use of this website and inform ICAO of any developments in their State using the information highlighted on the site,” said ICAO.
The website has sections ranging from contingency related differences and operational safety measures by areas to airworthiness, cargo safety and licensing.
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