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The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recently set up an Asia Pacific sub-branch office in Beijing, which will be in charge of airspace management in the region.
Li Jiaxiang, director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC); Xia Xinghua, CAAC deputy director; Roberto Kobeh González, president of the Council of ICAO; Raymond Benjamin, secretary of the Council of ICAO; and other officials from ICAO members in the region attended the opening ceremony on June 27.
The Asia Pacific region has the highest growth rate in the world’s civil aviation industry. The ICAO estimated that the passenger transport growth in the region will nearly double that of North America in the next decade, and its demand of pilots and technicians will double that of North America by 2030.
The ICAO decided to establish a branch office in the Asia Pacific region in 2011 to meet the increasing demands of civil air transportation in this region, especially in Northeast Asia. China, South Korea, Singapore, India and other candidates were involved in the bidding.
The ICAO chose Beijing over Singapore, Seoul and New Delhi last November after comprehensive investigation and assessment from July to October in 2012.
The office will be in charge of the region’s airspace organization and management and improve the efficiency and capacity of airspace utilization in the region.
The establishment of the office will play an important role in Beijing’s development as a global city and international aerotropolis.
The ICAO, just like the World Health Organization, International Monetary Fund, and United Nations Educational Scientific and Culture Organization, is a specialized agency of the United Nations.
Founded in 1947, the Montreal-based ICAO has 191 member states, including 38 in the Asia Pacific region and seven regional branches.
In 2010, the 2010 Diplomatic Conference on Aviation Security was held in Beijing and passed the Beijing Protocol and Beijing Convention, the first international convention that was named after a Chinese city.
