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The Director-General of Civil Aviation, Mr Norman Lo, as Chairman of the Asia Pacific Air Navigation Planning and Implementation Regional Group (APANPIRG), opened the 23rd meeting of the Group at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Asia and Pacific Regional Office in Bangkok, Thailand, today (September 10).
The APANPIRG's mandates are to ensure the effective implementation of the ICAO Air Navigation Plan in the Asia-Pacific region. More than 130 representatives from 25 states, two Special Administrative Regions of China and five international aviation organisations are attending this annual high-level regional meeting, being held in Bangkok until September 14.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr Lo noted that despite the uncertain economic situation around the world, the aviation activities in the Asia-Pacific region continue to enjoy phenomenal growth, with ever-increasing air traffic and the consequential demand for more airspace and airport capacities.
"The International Air Transport Association forecasts a growth rate of 8 per cent in air passenger numbers in the Asia-Pacific region for this year," Mr Lo said.
"As Asia Pacific is gearing up to take a significant role in future civil aviation development, the APANPIRG has worked hard in promoting safe, harmonious and seamless air traffic management in the region," Mr Lo added.
In the coming year, the Group will focus on the planning and implementation of the following key items:
(i) smooth implementation of the ICAO New Flight Plan Format in November 2012;
(ii) implementation of Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) in the region;
(iii) introduction of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technologies; and
(iv) promotion of seamless air traffic management in the region.
Under the leadership of Mr Lo, the Group will continue to make every effort to promote the development and implementation of new satellite air navigation systems for seamless and coherent implementation in the region to meet growing air traffic demand.
Ends/Monday, September 10, 2012
Issued at HKT 20:25
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