The Air Navigation Commission (ANC) considers and recommends Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and Procedures for Air Navigation Services (PANS) for adoption or approval by the ICAO Council.

The Commission is composed of nineteen members who have “suitable qualifications and experience in the science and practice of aeronautics”, as outlined in the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention). Although ANC Commissioners are nominated by specific ICAO Member States, and appointed by the Council, they do not represent the interest of any particular State or Region. Rather they act independently and utilize their expertise in the interest of the entire international civil aviation community.

Additionally, a number of persons from States and industry participate in the ANC as observers.

The ANC is tasked by the Council to manage the technical work programme of ICAO and, since its establishment, the Commission has considered and recommended SARPs comprising 17 out of the 19 Annexes to the Chicago Convention – including the most recent introduction of the new Annex 19 on Safety Management. Details on how SARPs and PANS are developed (the standards-making process), as well as the associated air navigation work programme, are provided below.

Under the approval of the Council, the ANC typically convenes for three sessions each year to address matters within its work programme. Each session typically lasts nine weeks including a three-week recess.

The key challenges faced by the ANC include maintaining and improving aviation safety and air navigation efficiency while integrating increased traffic into the current aviation infrastructure, introducing advanced systems, as well as proactively identifying risks and devising mitigation measures in accordance with the ICAO Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP) and the Global Air Navigation Plan (GANP).

The following table lists the current commissioners serving the ICAO Air Navigation Commission. 

(Available in English only)