Oman Hosts 2nd Civil Aviation Legal Advisers Forum “CALAF/2”

Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), is hosting the 2nd Civil Aviation Legal Advisers Forum (CALAF/2), organized by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

As many as 63 countries and 3 international organizations are participating in the 3-day forum.

Held for the second time, the Civil Aviation Legal Advisers Forum facilitates a continuous attention on issues of interest to the international aviation community in the legal field.

The forum features presentations on a variety of civil aviation topics. In particular, the event will address matters related to recent developments and emerging issues in the air law field, and ICAO’s work in the legal field. It will also cover topics related to crisis management and air travel recovery; data privacy; competency framework for legal advisers; settlement of aviation disputes; enhancing the capacity and effectiveness of civil aviation legal advisers; and current issues in aviation law and practice.

The opening ceremony was held under the patronage of Dr. Abdullah Mohammed Al Saeedi, Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs.

In his speech, Eng. Naif Ali Al Abri, Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) underscored the importance of keeping pace with the rapid developments takin place in the civil aviation sector locally and globally. He also stressed the importance of examining the compatibility of the provisions of the Civil Aviation Law in the Sultanate of Oman with the requirements of the ICAO as Oman is a member in the organization.

Al Abri pointed out that the Sultanate of Oman recently joined the Convention on the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Relating to International Civil Aviation in Beijing and the Protocol to Amend the Convention on Offenses and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft drafted in Montreal.

On his turn, Juan Carlos Salazar, Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) pointed out that the latest forecasts predict a full return to 2019 passenger levels by the end of 2023.

He added that the ICAO Council established its Council Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART). The CART developed and provided practical guidance to governments and industry operators in order to maintain essential services, safely restart the international air transport sector, and now accelerate the recovery through coordination at the global level.

He stressed that given the pivotal role and contribution of civil aviation legal advisers to their respective administrations, the 41st Assembly supported a competency framework designed to assist civil aviation administrations in the recruitment, training and professional development of civil aviation legal advisers.

Further, the forum included a youth session on the next generation of professionals working in the field of aviation and aviation law.

Moreover, the forum includes five sessions covering a spectrum of topic related to international civil aviation. – ONA