The ICAO EUR Search and Rescue (ICAO EUR SAR) Workshop combined with a SAR exercise (SAREX), jointly organized by the ICAO EUR/NAT Regional Office and the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) of the Republic of Cyprus, was conducted at the JRCC premises in Larnaca, Cyprus from 5 to 6 October 2023, preceded by the Twelfth meeting of the EUR Search and Rescue Task Force (EUR SAR TF/12) on 4 October 2023.
35 States, 5 Organizations (International and European) as well as 2 airlines with a total number of 95 people attended the 3 days of SAR events.
The Workshop was opened by the JRCC Commander Andreas Charalambides and Excellency Mr Alexis Vafeadis, Minister of Transport, Communications and Works of Cyprus. Mr Elkhan Nahmadov, ICAO EUR/NAT Deputy Regional Director, also addressed the Workshop with the opening speech highlighting ICAO's perspectives and priorities related to the vital topics to be discussed during the Workshop.
The speakers and workshop participants expressed their appreciation to Cyprus and ICAO for the organisation of this important regional event.
The objective of the Workshop was to raise awareness about the current SAR activities, share experience and address regional implementation matters. The workshop discussed the implementation of the Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System (GADSS) and SAR oversight. A full-scale SAR exercise took place on 6 October to practice the implementation of SAR procedures of the Republic of Cyprus. The participants were invited to observe the operation of SAR services, the activation of aerodrome emergency plans and the delivery of assistance to aircraft accident victims and their families.
The EUR SAR TF chaired by Mr Nikola Sarancic (Serbia) discussed the current status of implementation of SAR related provisions in the EUR, shared experience and discussed the way forward, in particular, related to the timely implementation of ICAO standards on location of aeroplane in distress. Report of the EUR SAR TF activities including some recommendations will be presented to the upcoming EASPG/5 meeting on 29 November-1 December 2023.
