MAGAZINE ARTICLES / PERSPECTIVE
MAGAZINE ARTICLES / PERSPECTIVE
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2018
2018
In early June 2018, the leaders of the G7 will convene in Canada. The venue chosen for this summit is La Malbaie, a town of Quebec located 400 kilometers North East of Montreal, generally known as the world’s third aviation capital after Seattle and Toulouse. The following seven countries form the G7: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the USA. The member countries take a turn to host an annual summit where their heads of States gather to discuss critical issues. Although part of the G7, the European Union is considered a non-enumerated member, which does not host nor chair a summit. On the agenda of the 2018 G7 Summit, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel along with UK Prime Minister Theresa May, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni will be discussing the following five themes:
Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk will represent the EU, respectively President of the European Commission and President of the European Council.
Although the keyword aviation does not appear in any of the headings of the themes on the agenda, these topics are very relevant to the aviation and airline industry and for many reasons.
Firstly, modern air transportation has proven since its inception a century ago to be a significant driver for economic growth. Moreover, the aviation industry is one of the largest providers of employment to millions of people around the world. According to IATA, the trade association that represents over 200 airlines worldwide (carrying more than 80% of the total air traffic), about 17.5 billion US dollars worth of goods are transported by air each day. That represents some 35% of the value of world trade. Besides, based on the same source, the aviation industry provides over 63 million jobs worldwide. Furthermore, 3.5% of global trade relies on air transportation. According to Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), a body committed to promoting the benefits of commercial aviation via its aviation benefits beyond borders website, the impact of the industry on the global economy was as much as 2.7 trillion US dollars in 2016.
Therefore, plans to invest in growth that works for everyone must and should make aviation one of the leading sectors to consider.
Secondly, the question of gender equality and the contribution and promotion of women in aviation is one of the critical themes for the industry. Long gone are the days when aviation was mainly a men’s world, every day and in every sector of the industry, women play a significant role at practically all levels of the aviation value chain. For instance, the current Secretary General of ICAO is Dr. Fang Liu of China. Reappointed in March 2018 for a second consecutive 3-year term, Dr. Liu is the first woman to hold that highest office in civil aviation. One of her commitments is to break down barriers and allow more women to pursue a career in aviation but also hold key decision-making positions. Besides, as an agency of the UN, ICAO supports many initiatives intended to achieve gender equality by 2030. One of those initiatives is the ICAO and the International Aviation Women Association (IAWA) joining forces in 2016 with a public statement to promote gender equality in aviation.
Thirdly, as clearly stated in the preamble to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation signed in 1944, both the use or the misuse of aviation are two factors that can either reinforce or endanger world peace and security.
"WHEREAS the future development of international civil aviation can greatly help to create and preserve friendship and understanding among the nations and peoples of the world, yet its abuse can become a threat to the general security; and
WHEREAS it is desirable to avoid friction and to promote that co-operation between nations and peoples upon which the peace of the world depends;
THEREFORE, the undersigned governments having agreed on certain principles and arrangements in order that international civil aviation may be developed in a safe and orderly manner and that international air transport services may be established on the basis of equality of opportunity and operated soundly and economically;
Have accordingly concluded this Convention to that end."
There is still more work to do, especially in the context of quick change in the technological realm. However, this preamble highlights how far reaching the vision of the early aviation leaders and regulators was. More than seven decades later, their statement and concern are still up-to-date.
Fourthly, although some sectors may lag behind when it comes to embracing new technologies, the aviation industry is heavily dependent on technological breakthroughs and is mostly driven by continuous improvement and innovation. Therefore, how new technologies will affect or define the jobs of the future is a hot topic relevant to the aviation industry.
As mentioned earlier, aviation supplies more than 63 million jobs worldwide. Besides, major aircraft manufacturers like Boeing have anticipated a shortage of nearly a million of qualified pilots and technicians in the next decade or so.
At the same time, the introduction of new technologies in different areas of the aviation value chain will affect jobs, methods and processes. For instance, besides self-service kiosks, which allow air travelers to check-in, or the use of chatbots to handle customers online, there are other more advanced technological experiments, which may lead to the introduction of pilotless airplanes. Therefore, undoubtedly, new types of jobs will appear in the future, while some existing forms of jobs will progressively disappear. Whether we like it or not, new technologies such as robotics, 3D printing and artificial intelligence, to name a few, will allow to get some work done more efficiently and maybe more cost-effectively than before.
Education and training that enable people to cope with technologically driven changes in the workplace will be an essential step forward in preparing for future jobs. In that sense, many key aviation stakeholders, including ICAO, IATA, and ACI have either jointly or separately launched various training and educational programs, opened new training centers or partnered with existing educational institutions and training service providers in different parts of the world.
Fifthly, aircraft emissions are considered as a significant contributor to environmental pollution. The topic was part of many high-level meetings including the 39th Triennial Assembly of ICAO where governments signed the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) in 2016. CORSIA’s aggressive goal is to achieve a carbon-neutral target for the industry in the years to come.
Concluded in the aftermath of the 2015 UN Conference on Climate Change, commonly known as Paris COP21, the global agreement dedicated to international aviation is aimed at defining an industry-specific unit of measurement for carbon emissions, ways to track and verify such emissions as well as how to record them.
The agreement has set voluntary period between 2021 to 2027 for trial and implementation. After that, CORSIA will become mandatory for all eligible States.
Although aviation is not the primary focus of Canada’s 2018 G7 Summit, the relevance of its agenda to the industry, however, is very obvious. The five themes selected are somewhat strictly linked to the world of air transport. Despite the fact that the summary of the preliminary work completed at a ministerial level does not make references to civil aviation, it could well be that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his G7 guests may be paving the way for future, more focused and fruitful discussions on this vital sector of the global economy.
In early June 2018, the leaders of the G7 will convene in Canada. The venue chosen for this summit is La Malbaie, a town of Quebec located 400 kilometers North East of Montreal, generally known as the world’s third aviation capital after Seattle and Toulouse. The following seven countries form the G7: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the USA. The member countries take a turn to host an annual summit where their heads of States gather to discuss critical issues. Although part of the G7, the European Union is considered a non-enumerated member, which does not host nor chair a summit. On the agenda of the 2018 G7 Summit, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel along with UK Prime Minister Theresa May, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni will be discussing the following five themes:
Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk will represent the EU, respectively President of the European Commission and President of the European Council.
Although the keyword aviation does not appear in any of the headings of the themes on the agenda, these topics are very relevant to the aviation and airline industry and for many reasons.
Firstly, modern air transportation has proven since its inception a century ago to be a significant driver for economic growth. Moreover, the aviation industry is one of the largest providers of employment to millions of people around the world. According to IATA, the trade association that represents over 200 airlines worldwide (carrying more than 80% of the total air traffic), about 17.5 billion US dollars worth of goods are transported by air each day. That represents some 35% of the value of world trade. Besides, based on the same source, the aviation industry provides over 63 million jobs worldwide. Furthermore, 3.5% of global trade relies on air transportation. According to Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), a body committed to promoting the benefits of commercial aviation via its aviation benefits beyond borders website, the impact of the industry on the global economy was as much as 2.7 trillion US dollars in 2016.
Therefore, plans to invest in growth that works for everyone must and should make aviation one of the leading sectors to consider.
Secondly, the question of gender equality and the contribution and promotion of women in aviation is one of the critical themes for the industry. Long gone are the days when aviation was mainly a men’s world, every day and in every sector of the industry, women play a significant role at practically all levels of the aviation value chain. For instance, the current Secretary General of ICAO is Dr. Fang Liu of China. Reappointed in March 2018 for a second consecutive 3-year term, Dr. Liu is the first woman to hold that highest office in civil aviation. One of her commitments is to break down barriers and allow more women to pursue a career in aviation but also hold key decision-making positions. Besides, as an agency of the UN, ICAO supports many initiatives intended to achieve gender equality by 2030. One of those initiatives is the ICAO and the International Aviation Women Association (IAWA) joining forces in 2016 with a public statement to promote gender equality in aviation.
Thirdly, as clearly stated in the preamble to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation signed in 1944, both the use or the misuse of aviation are two factors that can either reinforce or endanger world peace and security.
"WHEREAS the future development of international civil aviation can greatly help to create and preserve friendship and understanding among the nations and peoples of the world, yet its abuse can become a threat to the general security; and
WHEREAS it is desirable to avoid friction and to promote that co-operation between nations and peoples upon which the peace of the world depends;
THEREFORE, the undersigned governments having agreed on certain principles and arrangements in order that international civil aviation may be developed in a safe and orderly manner and that international air transport services may be established on the basis of equality of opportunity and operated soundly and economically;
Have accordingly concluded this Convention to that end."
There is still more work to do, especially in the context of quick change in the technological realm. However, this preamble highlights how far reaching the vision of the early aviation leaders and regulators was. More than seven decades later, their statement and concern are still up-to-date.
Fourthly, although some sectors may lag behind when it comes to embracing new technologies, the aviation industry is heavily dependent on technological breakthroughs and is mostly driven by continuous improvement and innovation. Therefore, how new technologies will affect or define the jobs of the future is a hot topic relevant to the aviation industry.
As mentioned earlier, aviation supplies more than 63 million jobs worldwide. Besides, major aircraft manufacturers like Boeing have anticipated a shortage of nearly a million of qualified pilots and technicians in the next decade or so.
At the same time, the introduction of new technologies in different areas of the aviation value chain will affect jobs, methods and processes. For instance, besides self-service kiosks, which allow air travelers to check-in, or the use of chatbots to handle customers online, there are other more advanced technological experiments, which may lead to the introduction of pilotless airplanes. Therefore, undoubtedly, new types of jobs will appear in the future, while some existing forms of jobs will progressively disappear. Whether we like it or not, new technologies such as robotics, 3D printing and artificial intelligence, to name a few, will allow to get some work done more efficiently and maybe more cost-effectively than before.
Education and training that enable people to cope with technologically driven changes in the workplace will be an essential step forward in preparing for future jobs. In that sense, many key aviation stakeholders, including ICAO, IATA, and ACI have either jointly or separately launched various training and educational programs, opened new training centers or partnered with existing educational institutions and training service providers in different parts of the world.
Fifthly, aircraft emissions are considered as a significant contributor to environmental pollution. The topic was part of many high-level meetings including the 39th Triennial Assembly of ICAO where governments signed the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) in 2016. CORSIA’s aggressive goal is to achieve a carbon-neutral target for the industry in the years to come.
Concluded in the aftermath of the 2015 UN Conference on Climate Change, commonly known as Paris COP21, the global agreement dedicated to international aviation is aimed at defining an industry-specific unit of measurement for carbon emissions, ways to track and verify such emissions as well as how to record them.
The agreement has set voluntary period between 2021 to 2027 for trial and implementation. After that, CORSIA will become mandatory for all eligible States.
Although aviation is not the primary focus of Canada’s 2018 G7 Summit, the relevance of its agenda to the industry, however, is very obvious. The five themes selected are somewhat strictly linked to the world of air transport. Despite the fact that the summary of the preliminary work completed at a ministerial level does not make references to civil aviation, it could well be that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his G7 guests may be paving the way for future, more focused and fruitful discussions on this vital sector of the global economy.
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Canada's G7 Summit Themed Photo with Montreal Skyline. Photo Credit: Government of Canada
Canada's G7 Summit Themed Photo with Montreal Skyline. Photo Credit: Government of Canada
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ISSN 2368-7800 (Print)
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Managing Editor of Airline Profits, the first aviation magazine devoted to airline effectiveness and profitability, Kofi Sonokpon has nearly 25 years of experience in aviation. Kofi holds an IATA sponsored Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Air Transport Management from the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montreal. An aviation expert and thought-leader, Kofi Sonokpon is also a speaker, trainer and the author of an innovative book series intended for the 21st century airline, namely Airlines for Business and Airlines for Technology. An accredited media delegate to the 39th Triennial Assembly of ICAO, Kofi Sonokpon is the host of Airline Profits Executive Interviews where he discusses various issues and solutions with aviation industry leaders and experts.
Managing Editor of Airline Profits, the first aviation magazine devoted to airline effectiveness and profitability, Kofi Sonokpon has nearly 25 years of experience in aviation. Kofi holds an IATA sponsored Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Air Transport Management from the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montreal. An aviation expert and thought-leader, Kofi Sonokpon is also a speaker, trainer and the author of an innovative book series intended for the 21st century airline, namely Airlines for Business and Airlines for Technology. An accredited media delegate to the 39th Triennial Assembly of ICAO, Kofi Sonokpon is the host of Airline Profits Executive Interviews where he discusses various issues and solutions with aviation industry leaders and experts.
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