In March, a multilateral agreement to liberalise air cargo services under seventh freedom rights in Latin America was made permanent, potentially boosting airfreight in the region. The move followed a significant visit to the region by leading ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) officials at the end of last year.
In December, the president of the ICAO Council, Salvatore Sciacchitano, and the ICAO secretary general, Juan Carlos Salazar, conducted missions to Lima on the occasion of the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission (LACAC)’s VII Extraordinary Assembly, which coincided with LACAC’s 50th anniversary and the 75th anniversary of Peru’s hosting of ICAO’s South American Regional Office.
In their respective opening and closing remarks to the Assembly, the president and the secretary general underscored LACAC’s pivotal role in supporting co-operation among Latin American States and with ICAO. The continuous enhancement and development of air connectivity among Latin American states, positions them well to address the technological and ecological opportunities and challenges facing aviation today.
The collaboration between LACAC and ICAO’s regional offices was also highlighted, in particular the promotion of joint initiatives such as the Regional Safety Oversight System (SRVSOP), and in terms of encouraging and enabling progress towards ICAO’s safety, security and sustainability objectives.
ICAO welcomed the adoption of the Declaration of Lima at the Assembly as a crucially important guiding document for the region over the next decade, and commended LACAC President Leonardo Blengini and LACAC Secretary Jaime Binder for the meeting’s success.
During the event, Panama announced that it would join the ICAO Assistance, Capacity Building, and Training Program for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (ACT-SAF) and was hailed as providing significant leadership for the region in this area.
In addition to their LACAC-related activities, Sciacchitano’s and Salazar’s missions also comprised bilateral meetings with Peru’s minister of foreign affairs, Javier González-Olaechea Franco and its minister of transport and communications Raúl Pérez-Reyes.
These bilateral meetings focussed on enhancing cooperation between ICAO and Peru, notably in the areas of air navigation, facilitation, strategic planning and environmental sustainability, particularly within the context of the recent commitments made by ICAO Member States to reduce CO2 emissions by 5% through the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and lower-carbon aviation fuels (LCAF).
The bilateral meetings further provided the President and the Secretary General with an opportunity to extend ICAO’s gratitude to Peru for its generous and continuous hosting of the organisation since 1948.
Throughout their activities in Lima, which took place from 13 to 15 December 2023, the President and the secretary general were accompanied by ICAO’s regional director for South America, Fabio Rabbani, and ICAO’s regional director for North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, Christopher Barks.
The seventh freedom traffic rights for exclusive air cargo services among signatory states agreement allow airlines from one Latin American Civil Aviation Commission (LACAC) member state to operate all-cargo services between two other signatory states without restrictions on routes and capacity. Signatories include Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela. The opportunity remains open for other LATIN American states to join.
