A sunset is reflected on the fuselage of a wide-body airliner parked on the tarmac in this photo by Ron Stroud/Masterfile. A year forever etched in memory, the air transport industry flew into crisis in 2001 and continues to address the challenges raised by the events of 11 September.

Several articles inside this issue focus on the role of technical cooperation, a permanent priority for ICAO. For more than half a century, the organization's technical cooperation programme has been helping countries around the world to improve all aspects of their civil aviation administration and infrastructure.

Most of our feature articles this month examine various aspects of the business aviation sector, whose outlook for long-term growth remains strong despite an anticipated decline in new aircraft deliveries in 2002 and 2003.

Several articles in this edition focus on the key issues related to the liberalization of the air transport environment. In March 2003 ICAO will hold a conference that is expected to develop a framework for the progressive liberalization of international air transport while providing various safeguards, including measures to ensure the effective and sustained participation of developing countries.

In recent years the level of electromagnetic interference experienced by aviation has grown dramatically. The increasing pressure on the utilization of the radio frequency spectrum requires that special measures be taken to preserve the interference-free operation of essential radiocommunication and radio navigation services.

Our feature articles this month address various aspects of ai law, including the international legal implications of harmonizing the rules for aircraft type certification. Setting up a system for a worldwide type certificate is legally feasible, and could consist of a multilateral mechanism providing for mutual recognition of type certificates issued by the State of design.

Most of our feature articles this month focus on air traffic management, including an article on the need to strengthen provisions for proficiency in a common aviation language. The potential consequences of an aviation mishap as a result of ambiguous communication or lack of language proficiency are serious enough that experts are reviewing ways to address the issue as a matter of priority.

Feature articles this month focus on aviation's impact on the environment. As emphasized by the outcome of the latest meeting of ICAO's Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP), it is particularly important to adopt a global approach to the environmental problems associated with air transport.

Most of our feature articles this month explore aviation security topics, including an article on the task of implementing the Convention on the Marking of Plastic Explosives for the Purpose of Detection. Although a major undertaking, the goal is to make the security mechanism fully effective in as short a time as possible.

Special Report - Annual Review of Civil Aviation. ICAO's look back at major developments in civil aviation in 2000, as weel as industry trends and forecasts until 2003.

Several of our articles this month focus on meteorological subjects, including a description of research into a form of clear air turbulence known as the horizontal vortex tube, and studies under way in Europe which examine the effect of weather on wake vortices. The objective of the wake vortex research is to address safety issues related to a relaxation of current aircraft separation rules under certain weather conditions.

Several articles in this edition focus on aviation training, including a report on tire establishment of a new panel of experts that will review flight crew licensing and training standards. Also featured are articles on passenger health, including a summary of a report on the effects of air travel on passenger crew health.