Paris (France) 13 to 16 October 2014 – 90 participants representing 25 States, 9 organizations and 16 Air Carriers from the European and North Atlantic (EUR/NAT) Regions attended the first Facilitation Seminar conducted in the EUR/NAT Regions and discussed over three and a half days the wide range of ICAO Annex 9 Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS).
The first day was organized in close cooperation with IATA and dealt with the requirements for Advanced Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR), a matter of high interest for States and Air Carriers and an issue of utmost importance not only for Aviation Facilitation but also for Aviation Security.
The following two and a half days offered an insight to all the other ICAO Annex 9 requirements, covering the development of facilitation programmes, the establishment of facilitation committees, the handling of unaccompanied minors, persons with disabilities, cargo, inadmissible persons and deportations by air. The ICAO Traveler Identification Programme (TRIP) and the Public Key Directory (PKD) were introduced and explained as well as the collaborative arrangement for the prevention and management of public health events in civil aviation (CAPSCA), an emerging topic in a world currently facing the spread of Ebola.
ICAO, IATA, States and Air carriers shared experiences and raised awareness for their specific situations when it came to the implementation of Annex 9 requirements. A catalogue of 19 conclusions and recommendations was jointly agreed upon covering all topics and focusing on the tremendous importance of coordination between all those involved, the respect for given requirements and the need for harmonization and implementation using the guidance material offered by ICAO, IATA and other entities to support States and industry.
The seminar was highly appreciated and a regular Facilitation event placed with ICAO was suggested by the participants.
