The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council is urging member states, other international organizations and financial institutions to consider the critical importance of civil aviation to the recovery of the worldwide economy after the COVID-19 pandemic.
ICAO Council president Salvatore Sciacchitano noted that the global response must consider the role of international air transport as a worldwide enabler in current times of crisis, through vital air cargo services supporting the global supply chains and rescue of stranded passengers, as well as timely emergency and humanitarian response capabilities.
Sciacchitano stressed , “Maintaining the financial and functional operability of the global aviation system is a matter of urgency in order to establish a path toward a recovery from the economic hardships caused by COVID-19.”
The ICAO Council is calling on states and financial institutions to examine the best means of supporting aviation stakeholders, including airlines, airports, air navigation service providers, and manufacturers, without prejudice to fair competition.
“Only by implementing, on an urgent basis, efficient public policies and strategies in the aviation sector will a recovery of the worldwide economy after the pandemic be more easily achieved,” concluded Sciacchitano.
A specialized agency of the United Nations, ICAO was created in 1944 to promote the safe and orderly development of international civil aviation throughout the world. The ICAO Council is a permanent body composed of 36 member states for a three-year term.