FRACS at the 14th ICAO Air Navigation Conference

That’s it! The 14th ICAO Air Navigation Conference has just concluded to everyone’s satisfaction.

For FRACS, it was a real pleasure to be able to participate. First of all, it was an opportunity to get an update on all the issues that drive the international community in terms of aviation safety and efficiency. It was also where the outline of air navigation plans for the next few years on a global scale was decided and drawn.

Many subjects have been dealt with and it is not the purpose here to mention them all. 205 working papers were produced by ICAO and the States and were examined during these two weeks of conference. 110 countries were present and about 900 delegates participated in these discussions. The orientations of the GANP (Global Air Navigation Plan) and the GASP (Global Aviation Safety Plan) have been defined as well as the strategic priorities for the coming years. Several issues deserve attention. Thus, the increasing disruptions of GNSS around the world are beginning to pose serious problems and weaken the future evolution of systems. The changeover to the new FF-ICE Flight Plan format has been planned for 2034. It may seem like a long time away, but it is a significant change, the implementation of SWIM and a lot of work remains to be done to make this possible. The hyper-connectivity of aircraft, space travel, drones, cybersecurity were also topics widely discussed.

For FRACS, participating in such a conference is an opportunity to update ourselves, to identify the challenges of the coming years in order to develop our expertise and tools and above all to meet the global aeronautical community. It is an opportunity to meet old friends, to get to know new ones and to take stock of current projects with our partner countries and ICAO. As part of our ongoing study on RSOOs in the AFI region, this has provided an opportunity in particular to meet in person with some RSOO directors and also with Member States, to fully understand their strategy and to have in-depth discussions on the right way to support the development of RSOOs in the AFI region.

These two weeks also provided an opportunity to sign a cooperation agreement with ICAO for the development of a first iPack and to have many discussions on how to support States in coordination with ICAO initiatives.

These two weeks of conference have therefore been very positive for FRACS. Some projects will most certainly see the light of day in the coming weeks. Ongoing projects have been strengthened and this conference was an excellent update of our knowledge and understanding of civil aviation issues for the coming years.

If you would like to be part of the adventure, feel free to send us your resume now at melanie.roquefere@fracs.aero.