The event took place in Salvador (BA), from November 14 to 18
Telma Penteado and Daniel Marinho E Agência Força Aérea – Major Lopes
The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) hosted the 20th Meeting of the Regional Planning and Execution Group for the Caribbean and South America (GREPECAS), the 12th Meeting of the Regional Aviation Safety Group for the Pan-American Region (RASG-PA) and the 2nd Joint GREPECAS-RASG-PA Meeting. The objective of the meeting, which promoted the three meetings, from November 14th to 18th, was to propitiate the debate, the exchange of information, and the sharing of new solutions in the area of civil aviation.
Held at the Centro Militar de Convenções e Hospedagens da Aeronáutica (CEMCOHA), in Salvador (BA), the occasion brought together authorities and experts from regulatory organizations, air navigation service providers and the aeronautical industry from countries all over the American continent, among which OACI Secretary General, Juan Carlos Salazar Gómez; GREPECAS President, Hector Porcella; Director General of the Department of Airspace Control (DECEA), Air Lieutenant Brigadier João Tadeu Fiorentini; OACI Regional Director for North America, Central America and the Caribbean (OACI NACC), Melvin Cintron; and RASG-PA Presidents, Javier Vanegas and Wagner Souza.
Conducted by the OACI Regional Director in South America, Fabio Rabbani, the 20th GREPECAS meeting promoted the exposure of information related to the evolution of air navigation, as well as the study of solutions for the harmonized and sustainable management of air traffic in the Americas. “We work very hard with the support of all the authorities. We have established groups that support the use of data and intelligence for Safety in support of the actions we take, and we seek to ensure that together we can generate products for our industry. We are getting stronger and stronger and more useful to our society,” Rabbani said.
Held regularly since 1991, this year’s edition of GREPECAS addressed, among other issues, the relevance of using high-tech equipment, the safety of air operations, traffic management of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and the importance of using aeronautical industry-recognized software by air navigation service providers. The event also included the election of GREPECAS’ President and Vice-President, now Brigadier Engineer Alessander de Andrade Santoro and Engineer Orlando Nevot Gonzalez, respectively.
Aviation Operational Safety
On the occasion, the 12th Plenary Meeting RASG-PA and the Joint Meeting RASG-PA / GREPECAS were also held. Since 2008, RASG-PA integrates efforts to establish cooperative activities that reduce burdens and enable the delivery of measurable improvements in the area of operational safety in the Pan American region. The mission of the group, which brings together 35 countries from South, Central and North America, and 14 Caribbean Overseas Territories, is to reduce the risk of fatalities in commercial aviation by ensuring the prioritization and implementation of data-driven safety initiatives in the region through the active involvement of all civil aviation stakeholders.
The event, which had Atech, Embraer, Frequentis, IACIT, Saipher and SITA as supporters, was also opened by Rabbani, who thanked everyone for attending and highlighted the importance of meeting face-to-face after the pandemic. “Every issue addressed here has important significance. In these last years, especially in 2021, we have not had any fatal occurrence in the CAR/SAM region (Caribbean and South America) with scheduled flights and large aircraft. For us, this is very relevant, it is part of the main focus that we have in our working groups, especially in our regional group for operational safety,” commented the Regional Director.
Lt. Brigadier Fiorentini mentioned the relevance of the joint work, the arrangements at the recent ICAO Assembly and the ongoing work at global and regional levels. “We appreciate OACI’s confidence in having Brazil as host. We hope that we can provide all the conditions so that your work can be fully accomplished and that we can leave here with new measures taken in a collaborative way to prevent new accidents,” said the Director General of DECEA.
Also present at the hearing were authorities, experts, professionals and representatives from the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), International Air Transport Association (IATA), Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO), International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations (IFALPA), CAR/SAM Regional Committee for Avian and Fauna Hazard Prevention (CARSAMPAF), Boeing, CESNA, Aireon and DECEA.
Air Traffic Flow Management Cell
The Air Navigation Management Center (CGNA), a Brazilian Air Force unit subordinated to DECEA, set up an operational cell especially for the event. The structure has integrated computers, fed by data link and by a link from FAB’s internal network, enabling real-time monitoring of the entire national air movement.
The CGNA cell made available all Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) steps, from the intention of a flight plan to the monitoring of all information related to air navigation in real time. The insertion of data in dashboards and the sharing of regional information was widely encouraged by the authorities, who emphasized the global benefits of this exchange of experiences and knowledge for operational safety in the Americas.
Photos: Fábio Maciel / DECEA *** Translated by the DEFCONPress FYI Team ***