Canada and its international partners are united in their continued commitment to improve the safety of air travel over or near conflict zones since the senseless downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 by Russia in July 2014 and Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 by Iran in January 2020, which took the lives of all 176 innocent people on board, including 55 Canadian citizens, 30 permanent residents, and many others with ties to Canada.
Today, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, in partnership with Mark Harbers, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management for the Netherlands, officially opened and addressed the third Safer Skies Forum. Canada and the Netherlands are co-hosting the event, the only international forum dedicated to mitigating airspace risks over or near conflict zones. It brings together expert partners from states, international organizations, and the civil aviation industry.
The third Safer Skies Forum will include discussions on how to better protect civil aviation from the risks posed by conflict zones in a more proactive way. Participants will also share views on current issues in global aviation and the way forward for the Safer Skies Initiative.
The Safer Skies Forum is a key part of the Government of Canada's Safer Skies Initiative, first announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in February 2020 to improve the safety of air travel worldwide. The Safer Skies Initiative commits Canada to working with international partners to address gaps in how the civil aviation sector contends with conflict zones.
During his address, Minister Alghabra announced that Canada's working paper requesting that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) prioritize a review of the ICAO Risk Assessment Manual for Civil Aircraft Operations Over or Near Conflict Zones was universally supported at the organization's 41st General Assembly. He also announced that the Manual was submitted to ICAO for official review in January 2023, and that a status update on the review of the document will be provided by the ICAO Secretariat at the Forum.
