The signing of the Convention on International Civil Aviation in Chicago, US, marked its 80th anniversary on December 7.
For eight decades, this defining international agreement has served as the foundation for the development of the global civil aviation system to the benefit of all nations.
In celebrating this important milestone, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) organised a unique event that took place on December 4-5 at the Chicago Hilton Hotel, formerly the Stevens Hotel, where the convention was adopted and gave birth to the ICAO.
The Second World War was a powerful catalyst for the technical development of the aeroplane.
A vast network of passenger and freight carriage was set up during this period, but there were many obstacles, both political and technical, to evolve these facilities and routes to their new civilian purposes. After several studies and consultations with its major allies, the US government invited 55 states to attend an international civil aviation conference in Chicago in late November 1944.
The delegates met at a very dark time in human history and travelled to Chicago at great personal risk. Many of the countries they represented were still under World War II occupation.
[caption id="attachment_1128760" align="alignnone" width="750"] Delegates attend the Chicago Convention at the Steven Hotel in Chicago, US on December 7, 1944 -[/caption]
In the end, 54 of the 55 states invited attended the Chicago conference, and by its conclusion on December 7, 1944, 52 had signed the agreed Convention on International Civil Aviation.
The convention received the requisite 26th ratification on March 5, 1947, and went into effect on April 4, 1947, the date ICAO came into being.
In October of the same year, ICAO became a specialised agency of the UN Economic and Social Council. The ICAO headquarters, a gift from the Canadian government, is in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Today, ICAO membership consists of 193 member states.
TT became a signatory to the Chicago Convention on March 14, 1963. On the same date, it signed the International Air Service Transit Agreement, which allows airlines of states parties to the agreement to overfly TT sovereign airspace or land in TT for non-commercial purposes.
The celebration offered the opportunity to reflect on important achievements over the last 80 years. More importantly, it served as an opportunity to reflect collectively with all stakeholders on how aviation development will continue to be supported by ICAO over the coming decades.
More commonly known then and today as the "Chicago Convention," this landmark agreement laid the foundation for the standards and procedures for peaceful global air navigation.
It set out as its prime objective the development of international civil aviation "in a safe and orderly manner," and such that air transport services would be established "on the basis of equality of opportunity and operated soundly and economically."
Under the theme Safe Skies, Sustainable Future: Together for t
