Yearbook of the United Nations, 2002. Part 6, Intergovernmental organizations related to the United Nations. Chapter 9, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

Abstract

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) continued in 2002 to promote the safety and efficiency of civil air transport by prescribing standards and recommending practices and procedures for facilitating civil aviation operations. Its objectives were set forth in annexes to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, adopted in Chicago, United States, in 1944 (the Chicago Convention). In 2002, domestic and international scheduled traffic of the world's airlines increased to some 392 billion tonne-kilometres. Overall, passenger traffic remained at 1.62 billion, and freight carriage increased by 3 per cent to some 30 million tonnes. The passenger load factor on scheduled services increased by 2 percentage points to 71 per cent. Air freight increased by 5 per cent to 116.6 billion tonne kilometres, and airmail traffic decreased by 15 per cent to 4.5 billion tonne kilometres. Both overall passenger/freight/mail tonne-kilometres and international tonne-kilometres increased by 2 per cent. The Council of ICAO held three regular sessions in 2002 and discussed aviation security related issues arising from the events of 11 September 2001 [YUN 2001, p. 60]. In February, it convened a high-level Ministerial Conference on Aviation Security (see below), and in June, it approved, in principle, an ICAO Aviation Security Plan of Action for strengthening aviation security worldwide. In December, the Council approved the text of an administrative charter and established the International Financial Facility for Aviation Safety, to assist Contracting States in financing aviation safety-related projects identified primarily through the ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme. ICAO observed International Civil Aviation Day (7 December) under the theme “One Hundred Years of Powered, Controlled and Sustained Flight”. In 2002, ICAO membership increased to 188 countries.