The iconic Taipei 101 building towers in the distance behind Civil Aeronautics Administration headquarters next to Taipei Songshan Airport in the capital. (Photo by Pang Chia-shan)
Taiwan Can Help achieve ICAO’s 2022 goal of Reconnecting the World.
Located at the juncture of northeast and southeast Asia, Taiwan is one of the busiest air transport hubs in the region. The Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) provided navigation services to more than 1.85 million flights and saw the number of air travelers arriving, departing or transiting reach 72 million in 2019. Even during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Taipei FIR extended services to 1.01 million and 0.83 million flights in 2020 and 2021, respectively, according to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) in Taipei City.
Based on data from Airports Council International (ACI) headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the northern city ranked fourth in the world in international cargo volume in 2021, which grew by 29 percent from 2019 to reach 2.81 million metric tons. Such statistics prove that Taiwan is an indispensable part of the global aviation network deserving meaningful participation in the activities, mechanisms and meetings of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), according to CAA Director-General Lin Kuo-shian (林國顯). The Montreal-headquartered body is a U.N. specialized agency created under the Convention on International Civil Aviation, commonly known as the Chicago Convention, signed by 52 countries in 1944. Now comprising 193 member states, ICAO researches and coordinates the development of air transport policies and standards to help realize safe, secure and sustainable global aviation operations.
CAA Director-General Lin Kuo-shian at his office in Taipei (Photo by Pang Chia-shan)
The largest and most significant ICAO gathering is its triennial assembly, which brings together representatives from all member countries and a number of industry groups and international organizations including ACI, International Air Transport Association (IATA) and International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Associations (IFATCA) to review ICAO’s administrative, economic, legal and technical program work. The next assembly is scheduled to take place Sept. 27 to Oct. 7 in Montreal. Taiwan last attended the event in 2013 as a guest of the ICAO Council’s president but was not invited to the two subsequent editions. This exclusion runs counter to the spirit of ICAO’s No Country Left Behind initiative and this year’s post-pandemic theme of Reconnecting the World, Lin said.
Safe Hands
While the CAA operates Taipei FIR to the highest international standards, Taiwan’s exclusion generates unnecessary risks due to possible delays in receiving operational and technical updates to ICAO’s Standards and Recommended Practices (SARP). “Working with other FIRs on an equal footing is critical to addressing concerns in a timely manner and ensuring the efficiency and safety of global passenger and cargo transportation,” Lin said. “Unlike national highway or railway systems, aviation is transnational and thus requires frequent communication and coordination between countries.” Such cooperation with neighboring FIRs is essential for ensuring the CAA’s National Aviation Safety Plan is in line with ICAO’s Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP) and Regional Aviation Safety Plan, he added.
Despite these challenges, the CAA works tirelessly to ensure compliance with GASP and ICAO specifications like the New Policy Direction on Air Cargo Security, for which Taiwan rolled out 100 percent export air cargo security screening in June last year. “In contrast to previous targeted or random checks, the comprehensive screening process requires a lot more coordination between airlines, exporters and the customs administration,” Lin said. “Still, we not only manage to keep pace with international standards, but aim to do so better and faster than other countries.” As for the growing call to address environmental impacts, the CAA works together with local airlines to promote ICAO’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation in accordance with SARP.
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the northern city is the country’s largest air transportation center. (Photo by Chin Hung-hao)
The agency also continues to boost Taipei FIR’s administrative and operational capabilities through its Air Traffic Management System, installed in 2010 and recently upgraded to ensure effectiveness for the next decade. Of particular concern is the operation of unmanned aerial vehicles, which prompted a chapter governing their use to be added to the Civil Aviation Act. The new rules entered into force in March 2020, and the CAA established a drone information management system. This was followed by a drone surveillance and control system launched at Taipei Songshan Airport in October 2020. “We’re happy to share our experience in this area and make contributions to the global civil aviation sector,” Lin said. “Omission of Taiwan, however, restricts opportunities to help strengthen related practices in the international community.”
Given the country’s lack of a direct communication channel with ICAO, conducting regular bilateral talks with partner authorities and cultivating contacts with major international organizations such as ACI, IATA, IFATCA and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization headquartered in Amsterdam are critical to keeping CAA officials informed of the latest aviation industry developments. Taiwan has signed bilateral air service agreements with more than 50 countries and territories, the latest of which was concluded with Germany last year to expand passenger and cargo capacities following the relaxation of pandemic control measures. Other agreements with like-minded partners including France, the Czech Republic, the E.U. and the U.S. enable Taiwan to send representatives to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and E.U. Aviation Safety Agency annual conferences for information and experience sharing. Participation in such events plays a pivotal role in boosting the country’s global profile, Lin said. He cited U.S.-based Flight Safety Foundation’s selection of Taipei to host the 2019 International Air Safety Summit as an example, which brought over 300 professionals from around the world to Taiwan.
Inclusion Calls
This breach in the global aviation network has drawn the attention of the world’s advanced economies. In a communique released in April 2019, foreign ministers from the Group of Seven leading industrial nations urged support for the substantive participation of all active members of the international aviation community in ICAO forums, adding that excluding some of its members for political reasons compromises aviation safety and security. Such strong backing proves that Taiwan’s bid for pragmatic and professional participation in ICAO continues to win widespread support from the country’s diplomatic allies and like-minded partners around the world.
Songshan Airport, also known as Taipei International Airport, opened in 1950 as the first such facility in Taiwan established by the government. (Photo by Pang Chia-shan)
A recent international crisis further highlighted the need to close the gap in the skies. In August, China conducted live-fire drills around Taiwan in response to a visit by a U.S. congressional delegation led by Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. China’s unilateral declaration of a temporary risk zone in Taipei FIR raised grave concerns over international flight safety in the region. The CAA had a very narrow window to arrange flight paths that avoided the risk zone. The event added considerable losses in time and fuel for international airlines while significantly escalating potential threats to flight security. “From the perspective of safety management, ICAO must treat us the same as any other FIR administration by granting timely access to communication on the ICAO platform so we can effectively provide and obtain information,” Lin said in response to the situation.
The CAA will continue to seek greater international support through strengthened exchanges and cooperation with like-minded partners, Lin said, adding that multiple letters will be sent to the ICAO Council’s president in a bid to build smooth communication channels with the organization and participate in its activities, mechanisms and meetings. “They should recognize the necessity and legitimacy of our bid,” Lin said. “It’s our right to pursue international participation, and we look forward to assuming our duties as a responsible member of the global community.”
