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The 51st Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation, Asia and Pacific Regions (DGCA Conference) organised by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and hosted by the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) successfully concluded today (November 27).
The four-day Conference held from November 24 to 27 at the CAD Headquarters was attended by more than 250 delegates from over 40 states/administrations and international organisations in the region, such as China, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, the Macau Special Administrative Region and the Pacific Aviation Safety Office (PASO). It provided a forum for leaders of the civil aviation authorities in the region to discuss issues pertaining to the various aspects of civil aviation.
The Director-General of Civil Aviation, Mr Norman Lo, was elected as the Chairperson of the Conference. During the Conference period, delegates discussed around 100 discussion papers and information papers on the theme topic "Rise to Future Challenges in Aviation through Closer Collaboration and Harmonisation", as well as other topics including emerging issues in aviation; regulatory oversight; air navigation planning, implementation and capacity enhancement; economic development of air transport; aviation and the environment; and technical and regional co-operation.
After thorough discussion and with consensus of all participating states/administrations, a Hong Kong Statement was formulated in the following areas:
- continuous improvement in aviation safety;
- enhancing air navigation capacity and efficiency;
- further enhancing aviation security;
- sustainable supply of aviation professionals; and
- protecting the environment.
The full Hong Kong Statement is provided in the attached file.
A number of agreements were signed during the Conference. These included:
- Management Service Agreement on Common Regional Virtual Private Network Project;
- Memorandum of Cooperation between ICAO Asia and Pacific Regional Office and PASO;
- Memorandum of Cooperation between Bangladesh, Mongolia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and ICAO Asia and Pacific Regional Sub Office;
- Working Arrangement between Hong Kong CAD and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on the Validation of Certificates for Civil Aeronautical Products, Parts and Appliances; and
- Cooperation Arrangement between Hong Kong CAD and the Civil Aviation Authority of Macau on Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigations.
Apart from presentations of discussion and information papers by the participants, technical visits to civil aviation organisations, including the Air Traffic Control Complex, Hong Kong International Airport, Cathay Pacific Airways, Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited and Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminal Limited, were organised for delegates to enhance their understanding of the latest aviation developments in Hong Kong.
In addition, as various civil aviation leaders were gathered in Hong Kong, the CAD held the Fourth Meeting of the Regional Aviation Safety Group and the Second Regional Aviation Security Coordination Forum - Asia and Pacific Regions on November 20 and 21 with the objectives of aligning regional safety priorities/targets and strengthening international partnership in aviation security.
Taking advantage of the presence of the Secretary General and other leaders of the ICAO, a high-level meeting on Afghanistan airspace contingency planning will be held immediately after the 51st DGCA Conference at the CAD Headquarters tomorrow (November 28). ICAO officials and heads of civil aviation authorities from the Asia and Pacific regions, Europe and the Middle East will discuss effective air navigation services to support safe and orderly traffic flow between Europe and Asia through the Kabul flight information region and adjacent airspace.
The annual DGCA Conference is organised under the auspices of the ICAO and is held in cities around the region with the aeronautical authority of the state/administration concerned as the host. Hong Kong is a firm supporter of the Conference and has actively participated in the event in the capacity of Hong Kong, China. The next Conference will be hosted by the Philippines.
Ends/Thursday, November 27, 2014
Issued at HKT 20:08
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