Welcome to the ICAO South American Regional Office – SAM Office!

About ICAO South American Regional Office – SAM Office!

Established in Lima, Peru, in November 1948, the SAM Office is accredited to all South American States. The Region covers the area between Panama and the Antarctic region including a significant part of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, which represent more than 16% of the global airspace.

As one of the seven ICAO Regional Offices around the world, the SAM Office promotes safe, efficient, environmentally sustainable and economically viable aviation, aiming for aviation to be a fundamental instrument for the social and economic development of countries of the Region.

To achieve the ICAO vision of the sustainable development of the global civil aviation system, the SAM Office works together with the Member States, in addition to collaborating with various entities and associations, in the development and implementation of the Regional civil aviation Plans, aligned with the Global Plans established by ICAO.

The SAM Office is also responsible for promoting compliance with the ICAO international standards and recommended practices, established by the Convention on International Civil Aviation and related documents, through assistance activities, capacity building, awareness sessions and coordination meetings, for all levels of local authorities and industry. Likewise, the SAM Office acts as the Secretariat of regional and interregional groups, in collaboration with other ICAO Regional Offices, to achieve the strategic objectives established by the Organization.

The SAM Office also manages important regional cooperation projects, including the Regional Cooperation System for Safety Oversight (SRVSOP) and the Digital Communications Network for South America (REDDIG)

For more information please contact: icaosam [at] icao.int (icaosam[at]icao[dot]int)

Origins of the ICAO SAM Regional Office 

Upon an invitation from the Peruvian government to act as host country, the first regional air navigation meeting for South America was held in 1947 in Lima, Peru, at the facilities of the Collique airport. Following other regional meetings precedents, this Meeting requested the creation of an ICAO Regional Office for South America. The ICAO Council, after analyzing the various offers received from States in the SAM Region, decided to establish the headquarters of the Regional Office in Lima, Peru, due to its geographical location and to the terms offered by the Peruvian government for the establishment and operation of the South American Regional Office, having signed the agreement between Peru and the International Civil Aviation Organization on 22 October 1948.