Instructions:
ICAO and IATA both play active roles with airports, air traffic control, and airlines worldwide. Research each and respond to the following.
- Explain their roles and discuss how their roles differ from those of government agencies in the United States.
- Cite two examples for each organization
Discussion Forum 4
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Discussion Forum 4
The air transport industry is one of the major economic pillars of the world. It does not only help in transportation but also takes a central position in globalization in general. As such, the industry has to consider other aspects such as safety, security, environmental sustainability, efficiency, and vitality of civil aviation at the national, regional, and global levels (IHS Markit, 2021). Various organizations and agencies like the ICAO and IATA have been formed to help actualize these goals. This paper will discuss the roles of ICAO and IATA, give some of their examples and compare them to similar government agencies in the US.
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was established in 1947 by the Convention on International Civil Aviation (CICA) to develop safe and efficient international air transport in a manner that ensures peace and reasonable opportunities for all states in airline operations (IHS Markit, 2021). The ICAO has two primary roles. First, it defines air accident investigation protocols. These are the specific protocols that signatory agencies of the CICA uses in the respective countries when investigating air accidents. Secondly, ICAO supervises standards and practices for international civil aviation (IHS Markit, 2021). It ensures that these standards are met by ensuring appropriate inspection of flights as recommended by set practices and standards. It also guides on border crossing procedures and unlawful interference.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA)
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) was founded in 1945 as a global trade association of the airline industry (Pegasus, 2021). Its main objective is to inspect and assign passenger transportation and cargo fares. Some of its roles include defining the standards of air transportation, creating fair competition in the airline industry, and designating procedures for cargo transportation. It also ensures the standardization of airline equipment and defines the terminal designs standard and management (Pegasus, 2021). Companies that abide by ICAO requirements can be a member of the IATA.
Comparison with Government Agencies in the US
In the US, the Federal Aviation Administrator (FAA) is the government agency under the Department of Transportation (DOT) mandated to regulate all aspects of US civil aviation. Such activities include managing air traffic in the US airspace, unmanned aircraft system, and commercial space transportation (Westwood and Tingey, 2021). It differs from IATA considerably because IATA is a trade association for airlines. Additionally, FAA focuses on domestic airlines, whereas both IATA and ICAO are international. Both ICAO and FAA are concerned with civil aviation but ICAI is based internationally (Westwood and Tingey, 2021). Since IATA cannot enforce its regulations, US airlines and the DOT use FAA to execute these regulations within the US. FAA is required to comply with IATA and ICAO provisions.
Case Examples
ICAO handles a case where an aircraft arriving from a country with Ebola Virus Disease transmission, to a non-affected country. IATA would handle cases that deal with passengers’ rights like defending airline companies against taking responsibility for cases such as poor weather, air traffic control, or airport employee strikes that may cause flight disruptions, delays, and cancellations. FAA would come in if a pilot breaks the Aviation Safety & Reporting System (ASRS) that requires them to submit reports of unsafe flying events or conditions encountered during flight.
Airline regulations are necessary given the complexity of the industry. Both international, regional, and national regulatory agencies must work in collaboration. Countries must strive to comply with the provisions of IATA and ICAO while managing their airline industries. Though they have some differences, they share common goals.
References
IHS Markit. (2021). ICAO Standards: International Civil Aviation Organization. https://ihsmarkit.com/products/icao-standards.html
Pegasus. (2021). IATA Code. https://www.flypgs.com/en/travel-glossary/iata-code
Westwood, W. D. and Tingey, R. (2021). USA: Aviation Laws and Regulations 2021. ICLG.com. https://iclg.com/practice-areas/aviation-laws-and-regulations/usa