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The Second Meeting of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Asia and Pacific Region Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) Steering Group was conducted in the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) Headquarters from October 1 to 4. Organised by the ICAO and hosted by the CAD, the four-day meeting was attended by over 70 participants from 15 states in the region, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and six international aviation organisations.
The meeting was preceded by a one-day ATFM Seminar to enhance participants' understanding on ATFM. The latest developments and best practices in the field of ATFM were presented in the seminar by experts from the ICAO, Eurocontrol, the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States and other organisations. The seminar provided a precious learning opportunity for member states to acquire new knowledge and share valuable experience from other countries.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Chairman of the Asia Pacific Air Navigation Planning and Implementation Regional Group and Director-General of Civil Aviation, Mr Norman Lo, said that ATFM has proven to be an effective means for Air Navigation Service Providers to adjust air traffic flow to match capacity variations under high traffic volume operations. Optimising regional air traffic flows according to airport and air traffic control capacity so that airlines can operate their flights with minimum overall delays and optimum efficiency are the main objectives of ATFM implementation of the region.
Members of the meeting engaged in thorough discussions on the strategy and implementation plan of ATFM for the Asia and Pacific region and achieved a consensus on developing a commonly agreed regional framework for collaborative ATFM implementation for the region.
The meeting concluded that an ATFM Specialist Team will be formed to tailor-make an ATFM framework suitable for the region. In the meantime, states should share the development of their individual ATFM plans in order to align them with the regional framework as it develops in order to achieve a modernised, harmonised, seamless and interoperable air traffic management environment. In this regard, all member states and organisations agreed to contribute to the development of the ATFM framework for the Asia and Pacific region.
Ends/Friday, October 4, 2013
Issued at HKT 18:15
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