Global Aviation Bodies To Discuss Airline Safety Following String Of Tragedies

The UN civil aviation agency will hold a broad international meeting to discuss airline safety in the industry's most coordinated response to the downing of a Malaysian airliner, two sources familiar with the matter said.

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The meeting of ICAO and top officials from the airline industry and air traffic controllers, to be held in Montreal next week, comes amid growing calls for action to prevent a repeat of last week's incident, which killed 298 people.

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The Montreal meeting will group top officials from the International Civil Aviation Organization as well as International Air Transport Association and other agencies, the two sources said.

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But both sources said it was not immediately clear what action would result from the meeting, given the agency's limited operational role.

"The idea is for the partners to discuss solutions," said one aviation industry source close to ICAO, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

ICAO, IATA, the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization and Airports Council International will discuss the respective roles of each in airspace over conflict zones, the sources said.

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Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down last week over a part of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian-speaking separatists. Industry figures have since urged ICAO to take on a bigger role and issue risk advisories.

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Two ICAO representatives said the MH17 incident had sparked internal debate on whether the agency could one day provide risk advisories, although they did not expect to see any imminent changes. Member states have ultimate control over their own airspace and may be reluctant to hand over power to ICAO.

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In an indication of possible resistance, the United States made clear it was currently "not seeking changes" to ICAO's guidelines" after the MH17 disaster and the disappearance of another Malaysian Airlines plane in March.

Other hurdles include concerns over potential liability - whether ICAO could be held responsible for an incident in a sector of airspace it had not issued a warning about. Expanding ICAO's role would require the agency to obtain sensitive information from its member states about their internal military and political affairs.

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"ICAO doesn't have a view on political disputes," said a national representative to the agency, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to talk to the media. "That said, it's not impossible to do and it is certainly worth looking at."

Tim Clark, president of Dubai's Emirates, told Reuters on Sunday he wanted an international conference of carriers to agree a response to the disaster, a call backed by Lufthansa. Clark told CNN on June 23 that the airline industry needed to examine the growing risks from regional conflict and questioned whether all airlines, particularly those from smaller countries, were receiving the same degree of intelligence-sharing about possible threats.

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He said the aim of such a conference would be to look at standards and security protocols. "I'm hoping in the next few weeks ... that we can get around the table and at least start having some brainstorming sessions to see what can be improved," he said.

The March incident prompted calls for improvements in the way planes are tracked.

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