International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

14 Jun 2025 GS 2 International Relations
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🔹 About ICAO

  • The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is a specialized UN agency (not just affiliated, but vested with authority).

  • Established under the Chicago Convention (signed December 7, 1944; came into effect April 4, 1947).

  • Headquarters: Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

  • Membership: 193 Member States .

  • ICAO governs international air navigation standards and fosters safe, secure, and orderly air transport development.

  • ICAO is distinct from:

    • IATA (International Air Transport Association – represents airlines),

    • CANSO (Air Navigation Service Providers),

    • ACI (Airports Council International).

🔹 Key Functions

  • Adopts Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) for:

    • Air navigation and infrastructure

    • Flight inspection and safety

    • Security and unlawful interference prevention

    • Border-crossing and facilitation

  • Develops protocols for air accident investigation (followed by member states).

  • Supports compliance audits, policy development, and capacity building.

🔹 Organizational Structure

  • Air Navigation Commission (ANC):

    • A technical body with 19 independent commissioners.

    • Oversees SARPs development via ICAO Panels.

    • SARPs are finalized by the ICAO Council, the political body.

🔹 Vision

  • Sustainable growth of global civil aviation.

🔹 Mission

  • To serve as the global forum for international civil aviation.

  • Engages in policy development, auditing, research, and technical cooperation.

📜 Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation

  • Signed in Chicago on December 7, 1944 by 52 nations.

  • Came into effect on April 4, 1947 (same day ICAO began functioning).

  • Became a UN Specialized Agency under ECOSOC in October 1947.

  • Establishes:

    • Rules for airspace

    • Aircraft registration and safety

    • Security protocols

    • Environmental and taxation provisions

  • Revised eight times: 1959, 1963, 1969, 1975, 1980, 1997, 2000, 2006.

🔸 Parties to the Convention

  • All UN member states (except Liechtenstein) are parties.

  • Also includes Cook Islands (not a UN member).

  • Switzerland’s ratification extends the Convention to Liechtenstein.


ICAO Audit of India’s Aviation Security Readiness (August 2024)

🔹 Context and Importance

  • The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a UN aviation watchdog, conducted a nine-day audit of India’s aviation security standards.

  • Purpose: Assess India’s compliance with global aviation safety and security protocols, especially at Delhi and Kolkata airports.

🔹 Focus Areas of Audit

  • Evaluation of:

    • Regulatory framework

    • Airport security operations

    • In-flight security protocols

  • Main target: Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS)

🔹 Recent Developments

  • India granted statutory status to aviation regulatory bodies via a 2020 amendment, allowing them to levy fines for safety violations.

  • This addressed earlier ICAO concerns (from 2018) about the independence of BCAS.

  • Recent BCAS reforms include appointments to senior positions and a focus on cybersecurity threats.

🔹 Global Standing

  • As of 2022, India’s Effective Implementation Score (a key ICAO benchmark) rose to 49%, placing it ahead of China, Poland, and Denmark.

  • India is now the third-largest domestic aviation market in the world.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

  • ICAO is a UN specialized agency, not part of IATA.

  • It was created under the Chicago Convention, not a UN charter.

  • ICAO governs safety, facilitation, navigation, not commercial airline business.

  • India is a member of ICAO and is subject to its SARPs.



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