Airport and industry personnel responsible for supporting and operating Airfield Ground Lighting (AGL) and Ground Traffic Management (GTM) systems play a crucial role in ensuring airside safety and achieving business objectives. ICAO mandates that airports maintain records of staff competency and achievements, with plans to implement full regulatory oversight of these competencies, as outlined in ICAO Document PANS/TRG 9868. Additionally, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is working to further define competency requirements for airfield personnel through new directives proposed by Technical Committee 97, which will be included in the updated IEC 61820 Technical Specification.
The global aviation industry acknowledges the expected shortage of skilled professionals in the coming years. To tackle this challenge, ICAO introduced the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals (NGAP) initiative, aiming to ensure a sufficient number of qualified and capable individuals to operate, manage, and sustain the future international air transport system.
The 2019 edition of the ICAO Safety Report discusses the “State of Global Aviation Safety,” highlighting findings from the ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP). These audits revealed that the absence or insufficient number of qualified inspectors and aviation personnel with specialized technical expertise impacts the sustainability of safety oversight systems. This shortage of technical expertise aligns with ICAO standards outlined in Annex 19 on Safety Management, specifically identified as Critical Element 4 (CE4) among the eight Critical Elements (CE). The ongoing lack of qualified technical personnel continues to pose a significant risk to aviation safety.
ICAO Annex 19, by its standards associated with critical elements, states as follows:
CE4 – Qualified technical personnel
4.1 The State shall establish minimum qualification requirements for the technical personnel performing safety oversight functions and provide for appropriate initial and recurrent training to maintain and enhance their competence at the desired level
4.2 The State shall implement a system for the maintenance of training records.
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