The articles are part of a global campaign in support of the country’s bid to attend the 39th ICAO Assembly from Sept. 27 to Oct. 7 at the organization’s headquarters in Montreal, Canada, with 71 published by international media outlets on the issue between Aug. 1 and Sept. 21. Taiwan attended the previous edition of the triennial gathering as a special guest of the council president.
Writing in U.S. industry magazine Aviation Week and Space Technology Sept. 21, Stanley Kao, head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S., highlighted the significance of the Taipei Flight Information Region, the challenges Taiwan is facing as a result of its exclusion from ICAO, and the contributions the nation can make to international civil aviation.
The Taipei FIR covers 180,000 square nautical miles and borders four other FIRs, Fukuoka, Manila, Hong Kong and Shanghai, Kao noted in the piece, adding that last year Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration provided over 1.53 million instances of air traffic control services and handled some 58 million incoming and outgoing passengers. “Taiwan, which has responsibility for one of the busiest aviation hubs in East Asia, needs to participate in this assembly,” he emphasized.
Similarly, Tung Kuo-yu, who heads the Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium, wrote in a letter published Sept. 20 on the EU Reporter online news platform of Taiwan’s commitment to supporting the development of global aviation safety standards.
“Truly, for the benefits of 58 million travelers flying over Taipei FIR, Taiwan’s presence in the Assembly will in fact do more good to the international community than to itself,” he stated.
Taiwan’s attendance at the previous ICAO assembly in September 2013 marked the first time in over four decades that it had taken part in an official meeting of the specialized agency. It continues to seek meaningful participation in the 191-member organization, which is responsible for setting international civil aviation regulations. (KTJ-E)
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