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by Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne, ICAO

One of the salient features of the Declaration is that it notes the significant improvements in aviation security recently initiated in a large number of States; recognizes that a uniform approach in a global system is essential to ensure aviation security throughout the world and that deficiencies in any part of the system constitute a threat to the entire global system; and affirms that a global aviation security system imposes a collective responsibility on all States.

The Declaration also notes that the additional resources which will be required to meet enhanced aviation security measures may create an undue financial burden on the already limited resources of developing countries.

Through the Declaration, the States participating in the Conference commit to achieving full implementation of the multilateral conventions on aviation security and the ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and Procedures for Air Navigation Services (PANS) as well as ICAO Assembly Resolutions and Council Decisions relating to aviation security and safety; applying within national territories appropriate additional aviation security measures to meet the level of threat; fostering international cooperation in the field of aviation security and harmonize the implementation of security measures; ensuring that security measures are implemented in a most cost effective way in order to avoid undue burden on civil aviation; ensuring to the extent possible that security measures do not disrupt or impede the flow of passengers, freight, mail or aircraft; ensuring that security measures are implemented in a manner which is objective and non-discriminatory on the basis of gender, race, religion or nationality; enhancing the quality of human resource functioning within aviation security, including application of sustained education and training; and restore public confidence in air travel and revitalize the air transport industry.

The Declaration also endorses the establishment of a comprehensive ICAO Aviation Security Plan of Action for strengthening aviation security worldwide, including: identification, analysis and development of an effective global response to new and emerging threats, integrating timely measures to be taken in specific fields including airports, aircraft and air traffic control systems; strengthening of the security-related provisions in the Annexes to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, using expedited procedures where warranted and subject to overall safety considerations, notably in the first instance to provide for protection of the flight deck; regular, mandatory, systematic and harmonized aviation security audits to evaluate security in place in all Contracting States at national level and, on a sample basis, at airport level for each State, under the ICAO Aviation Security Mechanism; close coordination and coherence with audit programmes at the regional and sub-regional level; processing of the results by ICAO in a way which reconciles confidentiality and transparency; and a follow-up programme for assistance, with rectification of identified deficiencies.

Several States, including Sri Lanka, pledged financial and human resource assistance toward the implementation of the action plan proposed by ICAO. The Conference was a singular success, not only because it achieved its objective of reaching consensus among 154 States as to the compelling need for an aviation security oversight audit programme to be conducted on Contracting States by ICAO, but also because it proved to be an exemplary post modernist attempt at a global proclamation against acts of terrorism that threaten the security of the world community.

The Conference underscored the need for an integrated management structure that could combat unlawful interference with exigencies of day to day social and commercial intercourse. It amply demonstrated, through the various deliberations that took place during the two days, that there was no room for any doubt that in international civil aviation management, international and domestic civil aviation should not be considered in mutual exclusivity when it comes to matters of aviation security.

Perhaps the most significant message sent out by the High Level, Ministerial Conference is that the world community would now have to establish a carefully synchronized and thoughtfully orchestrated plan of action and system of progressing toward achieving substantial enforcement of aviation security. Also highlighted at the Conference was the fact that, on a more short term level, and of no less critical importance, are the insurance and security implications that require urgent actions.

The outcome of the High Level Ministerial Conference held in Montreal was clear evidence that although monuments to power can be shaken by acts of unlawful interference the foundations of a family of nations and their civilized discourse on solidarity and comity among nations cannot ever be destroyed. Also evident was that long term resolution was an essential supplement to short term retaliation, if an enduring solution were to be pursued against terrorism. In this case, there is no room for the rhetoric of war, as there are no boundaries to encroach and no soldiers to fight. Global terrorism transcends frontiers of State authority. The dialogue of civilized nations eventually triumphs over individual response.

In achieving the abovementioned management objectives, the aviation community should start by attaining a full appreciation of the potential social and economic advantages of restoring confidence in air travel worldwide. The starting point should ineluctably be in the area of regulatory management, where ICAO should be called upon to identify and analyze new emerging and potential threats to civil aviation and formulate appropriate practical strategy to address the threats. Once threat identification is completed, effective management follow through should involve modular application of technological tools.

Available technology, such as biometric identification equipment and machine readable travel document readers should be put to wider and more effective use. Management databases containing personal information relevant to ensuring safety should also be used extensively on the basis that the international use of these databases in providing advance passenger information is essential as a preventive management tool.

There is no doubt that the work being carried out by ICAO in the technical field of aviation safety oversight are both prolific and effective. It is also comforting to note that, as discussed above, ICAO has initiated the extension of its safety oversight programme to areas other than those affected by technical factors, such as human conduct both on the ground and in the air. The latter requires careful consideration, on the development of regulation in such areas as air craft communications and the optimum use of air crew.

Globalized standards for cabin crew training and the establishment of a worldwide philosophy for crew conduct are also broad areas of regulation which need careful and collective consideration by States. Such a philosophy would necessarily involve a change in attitude, from the treating of a cabin attendant as a mere Steward who serves comestibles and beverages, to considering him in his actual role - as that of a person ensuring security and safety in the cabin.

As for air traffic control, it is time to consider a global regulation umbrella which sets basic parameters for conduct of air traffic controllers. National legislation may still regulate this activity individually, provided certain irreducible minima, such as the provision of insurance or some other form of compensation nationally in instances of blatant negligence or fault of the air traffic control agency. Overall global standards for air crew and air traffic controllers should include standards for the prevention of fatigue and the periodic testing of neutral and physical agility.

Another activity in civil aviation which requires careful safety oversight is in the maintenance of aircraft. Maintenance error is now known to cause 15% of aircraft accidents. The consideration of human factors in engineering and maintenance as a reckonable cause of accidents emerged only recently but it is now well established that aircraft maintenance activities in the ramp are becoming critical area.

It would therefore be prudent to include maintenance as an activity which requires monitoring of human conduct and stringent standards of training. Integral to training would be the harmonizing of cross culture communications and literacy in common language usage in the hangar. With regard to ensuring acceptable levels of passenger conduct in the aircraft, it is unfortunate that the airline industry has no unified system for collecting information on abusive or disruptive passenger incidents. However, it is comforting that this area is now the focus of attention of the airline community.

At the International Conference on Disruptive Airline Passengers, held in April 1997 in Washington, USA, it was suggested that airlines develop a comprehensive data collection system relating to instances of flight disruption by passengers. The Conference noted that, in North America it was generally considered that 25% of instances were caused by alcohol abuse, 16% by problems related to the assignment of passenger seats, 12% due to various undetermined caused and 10% due to prohibition of smoking in the cabin. The other attributes were 9% on carry on luggage and the rest on passengers' perception of the conduct of cabin crew.

In the final analysis, therefore, regulation on the safety of civil aviation should be introduced on the fundamental basis that air transport is now a high technology intensive industry and, any regulation promulgated must be focused on a proactive and not reactive approach. Aviation management must target through regulation such aspects as cross culture communications in the cockpit and cabin, enhanced automation in the cockpit, and a common policy on crew conduct based on available statistics on disruptive passenger conduct.

For the last measure to attain fruition, a unified system of collecting information on disruptive behavior must be implemented. The most important step, at this junction, is for the world aviation community to support studies which may be initiated by ICAO in the necessary and relevant areas related to the overall issue of aviation safety.

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