Arab Air Carriers Organization Concludes 54th General Assembly in Doha

By A Robin - November 12, 2021

AACO 54th General Assembly

The Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO) set a goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, in line with the joint responsibility of all sectors concerned with Arab civil aviation.

At the conclusion of its meetings Thursday in Doha, the 54th AACO General Assembly called for the adoption of the guidelines of air travel and vital safety in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which were agreed upon by those same governments through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) and their joint work, which resulted in the Report and Guidelines for the ICAO Council's Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART).

The General Assembly stressed the need to respect the Chicago Treaty and bilateral air services agreements on civil aviation and international air transport, including environmental measures.

Also, the General Assembly commended the decision of the Economic and Social Council of the Arab League, which adopted general principles of travel biosafety and mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccines certificates, in accordance with international guidelines published by ICAO and WHO. It called on governments to apply these principles in national measures related to biosafety and aerial travel.

Concerning the agreement of some governments to establish so-called health corridors for travel, the General Assembly called on those governments to follow the ICAO guidelines amid applying these corridors, provided that they are temporary and based on the applicable air transport services agreements.

The General Assembly underlined the importance of technology to ensure a non-touch travel process. The General Assembly also expressed, within the resolution, its support for the initiatives undertaken by several parties to develop and publish online applications that would facilitate the experience of non-touch air travel, especially the IATA Travel Pass application and other applications, that can be used by governments and air transport stakeholders.

SOURCE: QNA