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ICAO Issues Updated Global Aviation Security Plan
By: Charles Alcock
Caption: Implementation of security guidance will be audited by the UN agency
Word Count: 503
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has published the second edition of its Global Aviation Security Plan (GASeP). Released on Wednesday, the plan has been prepared in response to ICAO Assembly Resolutions A41-18 and-19, with the United Nations agency committed to monitoring the progress of member states in implementing the latest measures through the Universal Security Audit Program.
The document spells out the following six priorities for governments and the industry: risk awareness, security culture, human factors, technological innovation, oversight and quality assurance, and cooperation among stakeholders. It provides strategy and guidance to guard against changing security threats.
“The new ICAO Global Aviation Security Plan is both an acknowledgment of the urgent and evolving aviation security challenges we face and a product of ICAO’s unwavering commitment to confronting them head-on,” said ICAO secretary general Juan Carlos Salazar. “The plan is a central element in our support for robust action by governments on aviation security and cybersecurity. It also provides crucial support to our advocacy for heightened resourcing and focus on these priorities.”
Court Rules Operators Face Unlimited Liability
Earlier this month, a ruling by the Ontario superior court found Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) liable for damages to be paid to Canadian families who lost relatives when flight PS752 was shot down by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard soon after takeoff from Tehran in January 2020. According to legal and security experts, the decision is a landmark ruling with serious implications for all aircraft operators as to their responsibility for identifying the risks associated with all flights.
The Ontario court heard that UIA had conducted a risk assessment several days before this incident, but this was not updated despite a rapidly changing situation in Iran. The airliner was misidentified by Iranian air defense units, resulting in the loss of 176 lives.
“In this case, it just happened to be Ukrainian International Airlines but to be frank it could have been any operator that was affected by this situation, it was not an airline-specific issue,” said Andrew Nicholson, CEO of aviation security group Osprey Flight Solutions. “Operators carry this risk of unlimited liability, making the need for risk assessments, for regulated, forward-looking, pre-emptive risk management a clear requirement in need of advocacy.”
According to Osprey, operators should assess all flights for potential security threats. “Traditionally, airlines have relied heavily on guidance from regulators and governments regarding airspace safety and overflight risks,” Nicholson commented. “However, as this case clearly demonstrates, such information is often delayed, classified, or influenced by political considerations.”
From July 2 to 4, Osprey and EASA are jointly hosting the first World Overflight Risk Conference in the Polish capital Warsaw. The event is timed to mark the 10th anniversary of the shoot-down of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine by Russian-backed forces. Proceeds from the not-for-profit conference will be donated to victims groups associated with this attack, and also to relatives of those killed on flight PS752.