A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR GENERAL

Kurt Edwards

March was a month for outreach.  I was pleased to attend the annual meeting of the British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA), catch up with colleagues there, and learn about scenarios for business aviation in post-Brexit United Kingdom and Europe.  The short answer is that the post-Brexit situation is uncertain and potentially complicated. To that point, the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) has sponsored a report on the issue, Brexit Scenarios for Business Aviation, which I would recommend if you have not read it.

In addition, IBAC’s Planning and Operations Committee (POC) met in Berlin in March.  Thanks once again to the German Business Aviation Association (GBAA) for hosting us.  Several key issues were on the agenda of this working body of the Governing Board, including the launch of a working group to address customs and border control issues; continued work on developing a safety database to support operators around the world; a request for a report on the use and future of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) in the business aviation context; and preparations for the 13^th Air Navigation Conference at ICAO in October 2018.

Even as I reflect on March, I am looking forward to April and beyond.  A key event for our community this month will be the Asian Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (ABACE) in Shanghai.  As always, it promises to be a dynamic gathering.  Please visit the IBAC stand there, and please join me Tuesday afternoon to learn about the latest developments regarding the ICAO Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).

Last, we will soon make some changes to our Montreal office.  These will take place over the next two to three months, and we will share the details as those changes are put in place.

CORSIA UPDATE

In March, all States’ comments on ICAO’s draft standard package for the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) were due.  However, in recognition of the importance of the matter, the President of the Council, Dr. Benard Aliu extended the deadline to receive comments and concurrence into April.  The Council will consider States’ comments with a view to deciding on adoption of the new standard in June, which is critical for all involved in the system—national authorities and operators—to take concrete steps to prepare.  For those operators that are covered, emissions reporting plans will be due to national authorities on 28 February 2019.

• The IATA/IBAC CORSIA workshops are coming to a close. In early March there was an event in Geneva, Switzerland that was well attended and a CORSIA presentation was made at the British Business and General Aviation Association’s Annual General Meeting

• Registration is now open and details HERE for the EBACE CORSIA Workshop on 28^th May in Geneva. You can register for this workshop at corsia@ibac.org

ICAO

Appointment of ICAO Secretary General
During its 213th Session, the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) reappointed Dr. Fang Liu (China) as Secretary General of the Organization. Dr. Liu’s second, three-year term will begin on 1 August 2018 and continue until 31 July 2021. Some of you may recall Dr. Liu’s on-target keynote address at the Asian Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (ABACE) in April 2016. [link: http://ibac.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/ICAO-Sec-Gen-ABACE-2016-Keynote.pdf]

Changes to ICAO Annexes – Big Win for Long-Range Business Jets
During March, ICAO notified States via State Letter that the ICAO Council, during its 213th Session, adopted amendments to 15 Annexes.

Of significant relevance is the adoption of a change to Annex 6, Part 1, which will allow operations of aircraft with a maximum passenger seating capacity of 19 seats and MGTOW of 54,500Kgs to operate with out a secured, reinforced flight crew compartment door.  The threshold had been 45,500Kgs, but IBAC and the International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Associations (ICCAIA) worked through the ICAO process for three years to secure the amendment.  This revised standard will facilitate full type certification and operational use of such aircraft as the Global 7000 and G650ER, and will become effective 16 July 2018 and applicable to States in November 2018.

North Atlantic Systems Planning Group (NAT/SPG) – Procedures and Operations Group (POG)
The 5^th meeting of the NAT Procedures and Operations Group (POG/5) was held March 19 – 23 in Santa Maria, Canary Islands.  The meeting was attended on IBAC’s behalf by Tom Young.

Items discussed included:

• Performance-Based Communications and Surveillance (PBCS) – Participating air navigation service providers reviewed their plans for the phased implementation of PBCS, which started 29 March.

• Space-Based ADS-B – UK NATS and NAV CANADA intend to implement longitudinal separations enabled by space-based ADS-B service between eligible flights in the Shanwick and Gander OCAs via operational trial commencing March 2019 to November 2020.

IS-BAH

• Registrations have gone down-under in a good way with ExecuJet Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, both achieving Stage I registration in March.

• Texas Jet at Meacham Fort Worth achieved Stage II registration in March.

• isbahreport@ibac.org is now available for the reporting of any ground related incidents. Any information received will be used to assist the direction of our safety focus for ground handling services.

IS-BAO

• There has been unprecedented cooperation among industry safety representatives from IS-BAO team, IS-BAO Standards Board, the NBAA Safety Committee, EBAA Safety Committee, and others, regarding an open source IS-BAO Implementation Guide website. The focus will be on shared implementation solutions for small, medium, and large operators. The document will be a living document updated as the industry evolves.

• We are finalizing the 2018 Excel protocols for the beta focus group of operators.

Workshops & Events

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IS-BAO Workshops: Alexandria, VA USA

May 2, 2018, 8:00 am – May 3, 2018, 4:00 pm

Full Workshop/Event Schedule