Background

The Group of Experts on Aviation Safety and Assistance (GEASA) was formed in response to direction from the APEC Transport Ministers who, in their joint statement after their meeting in June 1995, identified the mandate of the GEASA and certain principles and priorities applicable to transportation safety, including:

Mandate: to identify aviation safety problems in the region and to provide necessary assistance.

Priorities: to review transport regulatory practices and procedures and pursue as far as possible their harmonization or mutual recognition.

At the invitation of APEC Transport Ministers, Canada's Minister agreed to lead the transportation safety project of which the GEASA was part. He appointed the Director General, Civil Aviation, Transport Canada, to lead the civil aviation safety project. APEC member economies were asked to provide senior, experienced aviation experts to be members of the GEASA.

The first task was the identification of civil aviation safety issues in the Asia Pacific, and to classify them. Ninety-two potential safety problems were isolated through the process of a questionnaire circulated to the GEASA members and the associated international organizations. The responses were analysed, the crucial civil aviation safety issues determined, a high priority list was established, and five of the most significant issues that required attention were agreed upon and assigned to the economies that volunteered to prepare issue papers. The issues were the:

1. Lack of Adequate Civil Aviation Safety Oversight (Australia);
2. Lack of Harmonization of Civil Aviation Safety Rules (Canada);
3. Concern Regarding Traffic Conflicts (USA);
4. Lack of Good Incident Reporting Data Bases (IFALPA); and
5. Availability of Appropriate Skills in Industry (Canada).

At its third and final meeting, following discussion and analysis of a range of options, the GEASA agreed on recommendations and observations for submission to APEC Transport Ministers relative to the following:

Recommendations concerning:

• improvements in the role of Civil Aviation Authorities;
• ICAO civil aviation safety oversight and harmonization initiatives for the Asia Pacific;
• training of civil aviation safety inspectors through an academy approach;
• a Declaration of Ministers' support for the harmonization of civil aviation safety rules;
• orderly but early implementation of airborne collision avoidance systems to avoid mid-air collisions;
• ratification of the treaty on Lease, Charter and Interchange of aircraft (Article 83 bis); and
• confidential incident reporting in addition to the unclassified reporting of incidents.

Observations concerning:

• the expansion of civil aviation training programs and the need for basic education to include technical-based curriculum to prepare students for higher education and technician training in order to meet the demand of an expanding technological environment.

Seventeen of the APEC member economies and three international organizations participated in the work of the GEASA. They were:

Australia	Malaysia
Brunei	Mexico
Canada	New Zealand
Chile	Philippines
China	Singapore
Hong Kong	Chinese Taipei
Indonesia	Thailand
Japan	United States
Korea

International Air Transport Association (IATA)
International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations (IFALPA)
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).