The Conference, to be held in Montreal from 24-29 March, is the fifth to be convened by ICAO since 1977, but the first with a theme of "how" rather than "whether" to liberalise. This reflects the increasingly generalised endorsement, or at least acceptance, by countries worldwide of progressive liberalisation of air transport and also the focus by ICAO on its role as a facilitator rather than a policy maker.
In addition to air carrier ownership and control provisions, the conference will have on its agenda other regulatory issues including market access, fair competition, safeguards and subsidies, consumer interests, product distribution, dispute resolution, transparency, and transitional measures towards a fully liberalised environment.
The Conference will also undertake an "in principle" review of two Template Air Services Agreements (TASAs), one for the bilateral situation and one for the multilateral. The draft TASAs are comprehensive, covering all aspects normally or even occasionally found in an existing air services agreement and, where relevant, will contain alternative clauses along the lines of "Traditional", "Transitional" and "Fully Liberalised". The TASAs are designed for discretionary use by states, selectively or in full, verbatim or amended. Nevertheless, they could provide a framework to assist in global co-ordination of the ongoing liberalisation process.
Finally, the Conference is expected to adopt a Declaration of Global Principles for International Air Transport, designed to be to be a cohesive statement by the international aviation community regarding ongoing liberalisation, which would have particular value in regard to relations with non-aviation entities (for example competition, trade, environmental and national security authorities).
The Conference will be preceded by a two-day public Seminar: "Aviation in Transition: Challenges and Opportunities of Liberalisation". Details of both the Seminar and the Conference, including working papers as they become available, may be found on the ICAO website www.icao.int.
Source: Airline Business
