The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is continuing to highlight a need for the business aviation community to remain engaged stakeholders on a global platform and reiterated a willingness to work with the community to help in the adoption of regulations that are better tailored for non-commercial operations. Stephen Creamer, director of the Air Navigation Bureau for ICAO, pushed for a “call to action” for business aviation engagement during his recent appearance before the business aviation community at the ABACE 2017 show in Shanghai, China, saying it is a key step to preserving access in an increasingly crowded and complex global airspace. At the same time, Creamer also stressed the need for industry stakeholders and individual states alike to increasingly adopt rules that are more flexible and tailored to business and general aviation operations. ICAO is willing to work with industry to help make that happen, he said.

Creamer’s remarks reinforced a theme that then-new ICAO secretary general Fang Liu stressed during the 2016 edition of ABACE. Liu vowed to work with business aviation organizations to ensure that member nations appreciate the important socio-economic contribution that business aviation provides and to mitigate restrictions that could hinder it. “The business aviation community is an invaluable partner,“ Liu told the business aviation audience. “We will continue to work closely with [the industry] to make certain that your voice remains an important one around our table.”

During his recent remarks, Creamer said, “The future prospects of aviation are definitely bright—global forecasts show that air traffic is predicted to double in less than 15 years by 2030.” But, he added, “Opportunities like these do not come on their own. We all have to be prepared for them.”

Airspace is a limited resource, Creamer noted, and the anticipated growth will make air traffic management more difficult. The aviation community must be prepared for emerging entrants, such as remotely piloted vehicles, and for other entrants, such as the military, as well as for people on the ground concerned about noise, he said.

“All of these add to the complexity of the airspace that we will have in the future, calling for a greater need for access and airspace management,” he said. “The only way to find an inclusive solution for access is to involve all stakeholders. So for your community, the business aviation sector, I’d like to pose to you a specific call to action: be engaged stakeholders.”

He stressed the need for business aviation to “be at the table” during discussion, offer innovative solutions, and offer guidance and resources. This could be accomplished through engagement with business aviation associations “to make sure that your voice is heard and your ideas shared,” Creamer said.

But as importantly to preserve the future of operations, he said, is to ensure the increased adoption of ICAO Annex 6 Part II, written specifically for international general aviation operations. Annex 6 Part I applies to commercial air transport and does not differentiate between types of such service. But, he noted, the primary audience of Part I is the airlines.

Some business aviation operators opt to comply with Part I and obtain an air operator’s certificate for tax, fuel or airport access reasons, Creamer said. “However, operating under Part I can get expensive and inflexible. One trade-off for the efficiencies gained by operating with an AOC is more stringent authorization and oversight processes. Business operations under Part I are expected to operate at the same level of safety as commercial airlines.”

While less rigorous, Part II still provides an acceptable level of safety for passengers and was dramatically improved nearly a decade ago with the assistance of the International Business Aviation Council and International Council of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Associations.

“Part II is now structured with a building block framework,” he said, including a section for general aviation operators and one for large and jet aircraft that includes supplementary requirements.

Future plans call for transfering general aviation provisions contained in Annex 6 Part III, which covers helicopters, to Part II. This would provide two annexes specifically for either commercial air transport or helicopter operations, and an annex covering general aviation aircraft and helicopters.

Part II also provides a simpler authorization, he said, citing as an example that it does not include requirements such as reinforced cockpit doors.

“While Part II has been greatly improved through the years, its implementation has faced challenges, with some states (e.g. Bermuda) being fully compliant while others have not yet promulgated the necessary regulations and published guidance material,” he said. “Both states and the GA community would benefit from the simpler approval and oversight processes available from Part II for general aviation.” ICAO is willing work with industry to urge increased adoption of the Part II requirements, Creamer added.

Creamer outlined other actions that could foster the business aviation community in the future, including establishing a safety culture that involves safety management programs. Annex 6 Part II includes provisions for safety management systems, and provides more flexibility for international operators. ICAO is updating its Safety Management Manual that promotes awareness of hazards, continuous reporting, data analysis and monitoring. A draft of the update, which will mark the fourth edition of the manual, should be available by the end of July.