Page 4 - 2018-Issue3
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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE                                                                                  PAGE 5



        President’s Message







                                                                                                                                     At ICAO, IFALPA is also involved in developing a revised Preparation of an Operations
                          ou are not alone, said Capt. Brendan O’Neal, British Airline Pilots’ Association Exec-               Manual to provide our member associations with standardized guidance. We’re also help-
                          utive Chairman, in a social media message to Ryanair pilots. His words made clear                    ing to draft operational requirements for volcanic ash hazards, and we submitted for con-
                          BALPA’s and IFALPA’s support for the pilots, but also captured our Federation’s                      sideration by ICAO a generic flight data analysis programme agreement to be included in
                          motto and member advantage. Regardless of the issue, industrial, safety, security,
                          or pilot assistance, our Federation stands with each of our Member Associations                      its updated Safety Management Manual.
              Yand every IFALPA pilot when he or she flies the line.
                                                                                                                                     IFALPA pilots are also represented on ICAO groups charged with putting together
                                                                         Ryanair pilots face challenges to be                  guidance material to support a cargo compartment content hazard risk assessment, which
                                                                    sure, but they’re moving steadily forward.                 may become mandatory for airlines as soon as 2020, and new proposed reductions in sepa-
                                                                    The Master  Executive  Council of the  Ry-                 ration for oceanic airspace.
                                                                    anair  Transnational  Pilot Group  held its
                                                                    inaugural  meeting on 8 May. Right now,                          I’m also pleased to report that IFALPA has taken a key role on ICAO’s new Electronic
                                                                    the pilots are focused on all aspects of bar-              Personnel License Task Force, which kicked off its first meeting in May and began initial
                                                                    gaining: establishing guiding principles for               steps in its mission to address issues such as privacy and cybersecurity. Participating in this
                                                                    negotiations,  building strong  bargaining                 endeavor is only one facet of IFALPA’s cybersecurity work. IFALPA pilots also provided our
                                                                    teams, and coordinating efforts. As BALPA                  members’ perspectives during the ICAO Cybersecurity in Civil Aviation Europe, Middle East,
                                                                    and so many other IFALPA Member Asso-                      and Africa Summit.
                                                                    ciations have  expressed,  our  Federation
                                                                    stands with them in their fight.                                 In setting the stage for the summit, ICAO noted that, previously, cybersecurity was
                                                                                                                               addressed individually by aircraft manufacturers, air navigation service providers, and op-
                                                                         Similarly, the Ryanair  pilots aren’t                 erators. The organization’s leaders who attended the summit in Bucharest, Romania under-
                                                                    alone in their determination  to achieve                   scored something IFALPA pilots already recognize: the airline industry’s reliance on technol-
                                                                    a fair collective agreement. Brussels  Air-                ogy and its increasingly interconnected systems heighten the potential for larger and more
                                                                    lines pilots requested  mutual  assistance                 complex cyberattacks. As a result, the type of effective coordination that IFALPA makes
                                                                    from IFALPA Member Associations during                     possible and aggressively promotes is essential to meeting the cybersecurity challenge.
                                                                    their two-day strike in May, and they now
                                                                    continue  negotiating  with  the  company.                       Another area of concern is safeguarding flight operations over or near conflict zones.
                                                                    Air France pilots conducted multiple one-                  Together with the International Air Transport Association, the International Federation of Air
                                                                    day strikes recently as they also continue                 Traffic Controllers Associations, and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization, IFALPA
                                                                    a long fight for a fair contract when their                experts contributed to an ICAO manual that presents industry best practices to protect
                                                                    company is reporting record financial re-                  against surface-to-air missiles and other deliberate acts and unintentional hazards to civil
                                                                    sults. In both cases, IFALPA strongly sup-                 aviation.
                                                                    ports the pilots.
                                                                                                                                     Finally, at IATA’s recent Annual General Meeting, I took the opportunity to affirm with
             The mission of IFALPA is to promote                         When it comes to safety, our mem-                     General Secretary Fang Liu of ICAO, our Federation’s strong support of the development
             the highest level of aviation safety                   bers are equally braced by IFALPA’s exper-                 of sustainable aviation fuels, the gender representation of airline personnel, and the need
             worldwide and to be the global advocate                tise and resources. The issues range from                  to attract, educate, train, and retain the next generation of aviation professionals. IFALPA is

             of  the  piloting  profession;  providing              soft ground conditions affecting taxiways                  firmly focused on safely and efficiently meeting future demand for passenger and cargo air
                                                                    at  Suvarnabhumi International  Airport                    transportation.
             representation, services, and support                  (BKK) to the absence of air traffic control
             to both our members and the aviation                   service around Mogadishu, but regardless                         It could be a volcanic ash hazard, a cybersecurity threat, or a new management road-
             industry.                                              of the location, IFALPA subject-matter ex-                 block in negotiating a collective agreement, but whatever the issue, with the full force of our
                                                                    perts ensure that our Federation holds in-                 Federation behind them, IFALPA Member Associations and pilots are never alone.
                                                                    fluence and we are fully informed.
                                                                                                                                     Capt. Ron Abel
                                                                                                                                     IFALPA President
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