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| Anthony Archer (left), Chairman of the Board of CASSOS, in discussion with Minister Peter David |
ST GEORGE’S, May 6, 2011 – Caribbean civil aviation officials are being
encouraged to maintain a high level of air safety and security. Doing so is in
the interest of citizens and visitors to the region, Grenada’s Tourism and
Civil Aviation Minister told a meeting in St. George’s of the Caribbean
Aviation Safety and Security Oversight System (CASSOS).
“The issue of safety of our citizens and visitors
cannot be over emphasized,’’ Hon. Peter David said at the 5th meeting
of the Board of Directors of CASSOS at the Coyaba Hotel in Grand Anse.
Among regional and international groups represented
at the one-week meeting, which ended Friday, were the Federal Aviation
Administration and the Transportation Security Administration of the United
States; the Caribbean Community (CARICOM); the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation
Authority (ECCAA); and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
CASSOS, Minister David said, has a critical role to
play in the Caribbean.
“Your mandate of assisting State-parties in
meeting their obligations under the Chicago Convention and achieving and
maintaining full compliance with the ICAO’s standards and procedures, as well
as the harmonization of regulations, are critically important
responsibilities,’’ the Grenada minister stressed.
“Safety and security in the civil aviation
industry,’’ he added, “are an international concern and should be even more so
to us in this region, given our heavy dependence on the tourism sector.’’
Mr. David warned that “the failure of our airports
to comply with established standards by ICAO can result in aircraft refusing to
operate in our destinations. This will certainly seriously
impact the number of visitors coming to our shores. Additionally, it
takes only one accident in our region to devastate our tourism sector.’’
In the context of the global economic crisis, and
with difficulties in the production and export of agricultural crops in the
region, “tourism has become our number one income generator. It is
therefore critical, ladies and gentlemen, to do all that is necessary to ensure
that we continue to maintain air safety and security,’’ Minister David said.
Grenada and other countries in the OECS sub-region
are represented at CASSOS through the ECCAA.
The Grenadian Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister
said CASSOS and ECCAA must continue to coexist.
“ECCAA is one of the success stories of what
regional unity and co-operation can achieve,’’ Mr. David said. “Over the years,
ECCAA has provided advice and safety, security and regulatory oversight to OECS
governments on civil aviation matters. They would be expected to play an even
greater role as we move forward to full economic integration. It is
in our best interest to ensure the integrity and effectiveness of ECCAA is
preserved.’’
Minister David said that while there have been
suggestions in some quarters about the amalgamation of ECCAA into CASSOS, he
believes that “both organizations have very important roles to play and should
be kept separately at this time.’’
He made reference to CARICOM and the OECS, where
each functions “independently’’ but “effectively’’ collaborates.
“We must be conscious of the fact that while we are
small states in a common region, the OECS has its very own peculiar
circumstances,’’ said Mr. David. “CASSOS and ECCAA must, therefore,
collaborate and work closely together.’’
Photo: Anthony Archer (left), Chairman of the Board of CASSOS, in discussion with Minister Peter David
SOURCE: GIS
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