IATA Calls for Mutual Recognition by Aviation Authorities

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on regulators to take urgent action to help civil aviation operate seamlessly and safely between states during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to help facilitate the restart when the virus is contained. Specifically, IATA asked states to take the following immediate steps:

Many aviation regulators around the globe have already taken the necessary steps to provide airlines and licensed crew with the required flexibility, such as extensions to the validity periods for licenses, ratings and certificates, so operational capabilities can be maintained. However, to be effective, these measures must be filed with ICAO, so that they can be visible to and recognized by counterpart states. Without mutual recognition, airlines are faced with uncertainty over whether they might be restricted by the states whose territory they enter.

‘’Safety is always the top priority. We therefore commendICAO for their swift action to facilitate the sharing of states’ temporaryregulatory extensions, making it easier for states to extend their mutualrecognition,’’ said Gilberto Lopez Meyer, IATA’s Senior Vice President, Safetyand Flight Operations.

At present, many of the world’s aviation regulators are not able to perform their standard administration of various licenses, as their operations have also been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. In order not to further impede global aviation, ICAO has established the COVID-19 Contingency Related Differences (CCRD) system. This enables all states to record any differences to their standard policies and to make a clear statement that they accept other states’ differences through a new form. This will ensure safe continuity of flights between countries in a harmonized, documented process.