By
Hafsa Obeng, GNA
Accra, Dec. 11, GNA
– The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) on Tuesday held a flag raising
parade and exhibition to mark the 75th International Civil Aviation
Organisations (ICAO) Day in Accra.
The celebration,
themed “75 years of connecting the world”, was to reflect the scale of aviation industry’s socio-economic impact as
the fastest and most effective means of connecting people, services and goods
globally
Mr Joseph Kofi Adda,
Minister for Aviation, said the theme for the celebration highlighted the
importance of safe, secure and rapid air connectivity to socio-economic
development.
He said 75 years
after the establishment of ICAO, the air transport system makes travel possible
for over four billion passengers annually and supports 65.5million jobs and
generates USD 2.7 trillion in global GDP.
Over 10 million
people are also working within the industry to ensure that 120,000 flights
safely carry 12 million passengers daily to their destinations.
He said the wider
supply chain, flow-on impacts and jobs in tourism including the movement of
over 57 million tonnes of cargo made possible by air transport indicates that
at least 3.6 percent of global economic activities was supported by the
aviation industry.
He said the ICAO’s
current forecast indicates that Africa, which accounted for just about four
percent of global air transport services, had the highest potential for growth
out of all ICAO regions.
“All these
developments underscore the very vital role that ICAO continues to play in
providing a forum for 193 nations of the world to dialogue and arrive at a
consensus on issues which were critical to the sustainability of the aviation
industry”
Mr Adda said
international civil aviation remains one of the most remarkable examples of
successful human cooperation and effective global partnership and contributes
to global peace and prosperity.
Mr Simon Allotey,
Director-General of the GCAA, said ICAO is a specialized agency of the United
Nations, established by 54 States on December 7, 1944 in Chicago, USA with the
signing of the convention on International Civil Aviation.
The agreement was
established to promote cooperation, create and preserve friendships and
understanding among the nations and peoples of the world.
“ICAO works with its
193 Member States and industry groups to reach consensus on international
standards and recommendation practices and policies in support of safe,
efficient, and secure economic sustainability and environmentally responsible
sector.”
Mr Allotey said
these standards ensured the uniform application of procedures necessary for the
safety or regularity of international air navigation.
He commended all
aviation industry operators, agencies, airlines and service providers for their
high compliance with ICAO SARP’s and the GCA directives, earning Ghana two
awards in aviation safety compliance and aviation security compliance at the
recent 40th ICAO Assembly in Montreal, Canada.
He also appealed to
the travelling public to bear with the airlines when there are flight delays or
cancellations, arising out of adverse meteorological conditions as the
harmattan season approaches.
Dr Olumuyiwa Benard
Aliu, President of ICAO Council, said the theme was selected to draw attention
to the fact that safe, secure and rapid connectivity was the core capability of
aviation industry’s worldwide network.
He said ICAO chose
to focus attention on the air transport sector during the anniversary adding
that innovations are the key to how aviation addressed some its most pressing
priorities.
GNA
