[Peetwo]

From Reuters out of Toronto:

U.N. aviation agency names Chinese veteran as secretary general


TORONTO (Reuters) - The United Nations aviation body's governing council elected Fang Liu, a veteran of China's aviation authority, as its new secretary general on Wednesday, the first woman to hold the position in the agency's 70-year history.

Liu, who has worked at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) since 2007, is director of its Bureau of Administration and Services. She ran against candidates from Australia, India and the United Arab Emirates.

Liu will start her three-year term on Aug. 1, replacing Raymond Benjamin of France.

ICAO's Secretary General oversees the Montreal-based agency's secretariat, acting as its chief executive officer, and reports to its 36-member governing council which is currently led by Nigeria's Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu.

From 1987 to 2007, Liu held a series of positions at the Civil Aviation Administration of China's international affairs department, which works with ICAO.

The agency is under pressure to improve safety in the airline industry after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 and the downing of another Malaysian airliner in Ukraine last year.

At a major safety conference last month ICAO member states endorsed a plan to track aircraft flying outside radar, and a proposal to build a website where states can share information about risks to planes in conflict zones.

The agency is not a regulator, but its standards typically become regulatory requirements in its 191 member states.

(Reporting by Allison Martell; Editing by Diane Craft)

 
Wise move ICAO..  

Q/ In light of some of the disturbing findings in the latest MH370 interim investigation report I wonder how long it will be before a full blown ICAO USOAP safety audit is conducted in Malaysia?

It would seem that there has been calls for this to occur for sometime now by some of the opposition ranks in the KL Parliament, the following is from the daughter of the opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim currently residing in gaol in KL:

The Malaysian Government Must Reveal Findings of The ICAO Audit On Malaysia’s Commercial Radar System Following Release of MH370 Preliminary Report

Posted on Sunday, 4 May, 2014

Media Statement
For Immediate Release
3 May 2014
I refer to the Initial Incident Report MH370, issued by the Office of the Chief Inspector of Air Accidents, Ministry of Transport Malaysia days ago.

While welcomed, the preliminary report, which was made available for public viewing, raised more questions than answers.

Among other things, the Preliminary Report touched on the flight timeline, a summarised transcript of radio transmissions, follow up search and rescue (SAR) efforts, as well as a proposal to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to introduce a real time tracking system for civilian aircrafts.

Currently, there are no legal provisions requiring Malaysia Airlines to upgrade their system software in facilitating the tracking of aircrafts with greater efficiency.

I have personally raised the issue of air traffic safety as early as July 2012, and again in the aftermath of the radar system breakdown – for nearly two hours- at the Subang Airport in September 2012. i had demanded then for Malaysia’s air traffic system to be audited by the International Civil Aviation Organization. The last International Civil Aviation Organization audit took place in 2005.

As per the preliminary report, recordings from the military radar showed the possibility of an aircraft similar to MH370 flying west across Peninsular Malaysia. However, questions arising from an unidentified flying aircraft into the Malaysian airspace and our corresponding actions must be answered.

This matter should not be taken lightly as it involves the safety of travelling individuals as well as threats to the national security. It bears reminding that the September 11 attacks in America were performed using commercial jetliners.

It is hoped that the Full Report following this Preliminary Publication will prod the Malaysian government to give more attention to air safety in Malaysia and enhance existing standards including necessary software upgrades by airliners to ensure greater tracking efficiency.

In mid-April 2014, the acting Minister of Transport stated that an ICAO safety audit will be conducted at KLIA2.

The ICAO audit results must be made public soonest. At the least, it must be made available for Parliamentary scrutiny. I have been consistently pushing for such an audit since 2012 to ensure that the Malaysia will not be affected by any weaknesses and to identify the follow-up measures to improve airspace defence preparedness. We must aim to secure MH370 and avoid a repeat of such tragedy.

Nurul Izzah Anwar
Member of Parliament, Lembah Pantai
Vice President of KEADILAN

   
TICK..TOCK Malaysia...    

Ps While your at it ICAO USOAP might be worth taking a look at this...?? - RE: Was ICAO mislead?

Pps Nancy where the bloody hell are you??