Caribbean states move to strengthen aviation safety oversight

The one-day symposium was convened by the CARICOM Secretariat in collaboration with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and hosted by the Government of Guyana and the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, Lilendaal, Greater Georgetown.

More than 70 representatives comprising ministers with responsibility for air transport and civil aviation, directors general of civil aviation authorities, government officials, regional institutions, international and development partners, the aviation industry, met under the theme “Strengthening Caribbean Aviation Safety: Regional Cooperation, Resilient Oversight and Sustainable Capacity Development”.

The participants emphasised that a key element of regional action is to deepen support for the Caribbean Aviation Safety and Security Oversight System (CASSOS), the CARICOM Institution established to help Member States meet international standards that are difficult for small administrations to sustain alone.

Stakeholders worked through the draft CASSOS Roadmap and Action Matrix to 2035, which is expected to address the sustainability of civil aviation authorities, harmonisation of regulations, air transport services under the Multilateral Air Services Agreement, timelines, financing and the monitoring the roadmap will require.

Strategic partners also shared perspectives on support for regional aviation safety cooperation. Some of the partners included the ICAO, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, the United States Federal Aviation Administration, Transport Canada and the United Kingdom.  Airlines, the private sector and revenue authorities gave an industry view.

Regional cooperation is indispensable

Earlier, at the opening ceremony, speakers returned to a common theme: the Region’s small administrations carry the same international obligations as far larger States, and that pooling expertise and resources is the practical answer to constraints none of them can resolve alone.

Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, Prime Minister of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana stated, “A passenger may never see an inspection record or know the name of the controller guiding a flight. That passenger has every right to expect that the work has been done. Our responsibility is to make that confidence deserved.”

“Good procedures matter only when people have the training, time and authority to follow them.”

In addition, Public Utilities and Aviation Minister, Deodat Indar, posited, “The decision before us is whether regional cooperation will remain an aspiration or become the operating principle of Caribbean aviation. Let us choose action.”

Further, Secretary-General, Caribbean Community, Dr Carla Barnett related, “Our national civil aviation authorities face increasing regulatory demands, technological change, workforce constraints and financial pressures. For small administrations, these realities reinforce a fundamental truth — regional cooperation is indispensable.”

“For small island and low-lying coastal developing states, connectivity is not a convenience, it is a necessity. Air transport sustains tourism, trade, investment, emergency response, family connections, and the wider economic and social integration of our community.”

On the other hand, Regional Director, South America, International Civil Aviation Organization, Luis Fernando Fiallos, added that “Under the Chicago Convention, ultimate responsibility for safety oversight rests with each sovereign State. Yet regional arrangements do not diminish sovereignty; they reinforce it.”

Meanwhile, Division Chief (Ag) of the Economic Infrastructure Division, Caribbean Development Bank, William Ashby, highlighted, “Our states operate in relatively small markets, face constraints in specialised technical capacity, and must meet the same international obligations and standards as countries with significantly larger populations and resources.”