Consul General Henry Mangal represented Saint Lucia at the 41st Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which was held in Montreal, Canada, from 27th September to 7th October 2022. Chief Aviation Officer – Mr. Eustace Cherry – also represented Saint Lucia at the assembly, but virtually, from his office, in Saint Lucia.
The ICAO is the United Nations (UN) Agency with specific responsibility for Civil Aviation matters, and the 41st Assembly was being under the theme “Reconnecting the World”. The last Assembly was held in 2019, prior to the onset of Covid-19, which brought international travel to a virtual standstill. The lessons of Covid-19 and the rebound in air-travel post-pandemic, provided fertile issues for discussion alongside the ICAO strategic pillars of:
- Safety
- Air Navigation Capacity and Efficiency
- Security and Facilitation
- Economic Development and Air Transport
- Environmental Protection.
CG Mangal coordinated with other OECS representatives in attendance at the Assembly, and the Director General of the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA), as they advanced the case for the rapid return of ECCA to category 1 status, with the Federal Aviation Administration of the USA.
Saint Lucia, along with several ICAO members, including the USA, issued statements at the Assembly, calling for the inclusion of the Taipei (Taiwan) Civil Aeronautics Administration, in the ICAO. The statements by US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Saint Lucia Consul General Henry Mangal, were both posted on the ICAO’s official website.
CG Mangal and other OECS Representatives also met separately with ICAO President Salvatore Sciacchitano and ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar, to discuss matters of mutual interest.
