Air Safety in Antarctica
The Representatives,
Recalling Resolution 6 (2021) on air safety in Antarctica;
Welcoming the advice provided by the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (“COMNAP”) in regard to the review by the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (“ATCM”) of Resolution 6 (2021);
Concerned by the increasing diversification of aviation activities and the potential for increasing numbers of non-governmental aircraft movements;
Understanding the need to ensure that measures for improved air safety apply to all flights in Antarctica;
Noting the importance of ensuring effective communications between all actors involved in Antarctic air activities, including air operators, National Competent Authorities and COMNAP, and consistency of information across the various data repositories within the Antarctic Treaty System;
Recognising the importance of safe air operations in the Antarctic and that the principal body of knowledge and experience of Antarctic air operations, and its current challenges, lies with the operators of National Antarctic Programmes;
Acknowledging that any technical criteria must not impair the right of aerial observation granted in Article VII of the Antarctic Treaty;
Desiring to contribute to air safety in Antarctica through updated recommendations;
Recommend to their Governments:
1. for the purpose of ensuring that measures for improved air safety apply to all flights and all aviation-related infrastructure in the Antarctic Treaty area, measures to improve air safety set out in paragraphs 2-10 taking into account the International Civil Aviation Organization (“ICAO”) criteria and the specific features of Antarctica as well as existing practices and services;
2. that, for the purpose of the safety of air operations in the Antarctic Treaty area, Parties should exchange, preferably by 1 September and no later than 15 November each year, information about their planned air operations in accordance with the standardised format of the Electronic Information Exchange System (“EIES”);
3. that, for the purpose of improving air safety in Antarctica, all operators, governmental and non-governmental, operating aircraft or managing air-related infrastructure, camps or aviation facilities or services in the Antarctic Treaty area should be provided, at the request of their Competent Authority or National Antarctic Programme, with a continuously updated compendium produced by COMNAP, known as the COMNAP Antarctic Flight Information Manual (“AFIM”), describing ground facilities, aircraft (including helicopters) and aircraft operating procedures and associated communications facilities in the Antarctic Treaty area (out of the use of which questions of liability will not arise) and, therefore, that they should:
a) facilitate the ongoing revision of AFIM by collective action through COMNAP;
(b) adopt a format in which information provided is kept in a manner that facilitates updating of information;
(c) request their Antarctic operators to provide timely, current and accurate information for the purpose of maintaining the AFIM; and
(d) ensure consistency of information across the various data repositories within the Antarctic Treaty System;
4. that, for the purpose of ensuring mutual awareness of current air operations and exchanging information about them, Parties should designate:
a) Primary Air Information Stations (“PAIS”), which coordinate their own air information and information from their Secondary Air Information Stations (if any) for the purpose of notifying current air operations to other PAIS. These PAIS should have adequate communication facilities able to transmit information by appropriate and agreed means; and
(b) Secondary Air Information Stations (“SAIS”) which comprise stations/bases (including field bases and ships), which provide air information to their parent coordinating PAIS;
5. that, for the purpose of ensuring effective communications between PAIS, Parties and other operators should ensure that their PAIS have adequate facilities for communicating with other PAIS;
6. that, for the purpose of avoiding air incidents in areas beyond the range of very high frequency (“VHF”) radio coverage of PAIS and SAIS:
a) aircraft outside the areas covered by PAIS and SAIS should use a specific radio frequency to apply the Traffic Information Broadcast by Aircraft (“TIBA”) procedure, laid down in Annex 11 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation;
(b) transponders in all aircraft must be switched on at all times during flight in the Antarctic Treaty area; and
(c) in addition, operators should strongly consider the installation and use of Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (“ADS-B”) In and/or Traffic Collision Avoidance System (“TCAS”) technology in all aircraft operating in the Antarctic Treaty area;
7. that, so as to ensure compliance with Article VII, paragraph 5 of the Antarctic Treaty and also Recommendation X-8, Part IV, Parties should keep one another informed about non-governmental flights and should request COMNAP to provide access to AFIM to any operator of a non-governmental flight or infrastructure within the Antarctic Treaty area;
8. that, so as to provide for the improved collection from, and for the exchange within Antarctica of meteorological data and information of significance to the safety of, Antarctic air operations, Parties should:
a) encourage the World Meteorological Organization (“WMO”) in its work towards this end;
(b) take steps to improve meteorological services available in Antarctica, specifically to meet aviation requirements; and
(c) take account of the International Antarctic Weather Forecasting Handbook;
9. that, for the purpose of consideration of emergency response that might be required, Parties should consider that any increase in air activity brings with it increased risks that must be managed or mitigated, and in cases of search and rescue (“SAR”) or emergency response, it is the National Antarctic Programmes that are often called upon to respond. This should be considered when Parties are made aware of non-governmental applications for air activities that are not in support of science;
10. that, for the purpose of improving air safety in Antarctica, Parties should request that all Antarctic air operators, government and non-governmental alike, ensure that they are aware of safety requirements, have identified alternative landing sites and communicated their intentions in advance directly to the operators of the alternative landing sites, reflecting that many airfields in the Antarctic Treaty area have limited and seasonal capacity and there should be no presumption of capabilities, operations or ability to assist;
11. that, to improve chances of survival in the event of an air accident, the operators of all personned aircraft should ensure that, at least, recommended minimal survival equipment is maintained and carried onboard their aircraft. Such recommended minimal survival equipment to be based on a risk-based approach that considers type of aircraft, number of persons onboard and proposed specifics of the operations, such as whether the operations are intra-Antarctica or inter-Antarctic. The list of recommended minimal survival equipment, shall be maintained through COMNAP and reviewed regularly by all operators; and
12. that Resolution 6 (2021) is no longer current.
The Representatives,
Recalling Resolution 6 (2021) on air safety in Antarctica;
Welcoming the advice provided by the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (“COMNAP”) in regard to the review by the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (“ATCM”) of Resolution 6 (2021);
Concerned by the increasing diversification of aviation activities and the potential for increasing numbers of non-governmental aircraft movements;
Understanding the need to ensure that measures for improved air safety apply to all flights in Antarctica;
Noting the importance of ensuring effective communications between all actors involved in Antarctic air activities, including air operators, National Competent Authorities and COMNAP, and consistency of information across the various data repositories within the Antarctic Treaty System;
Recognising the importance of safe air operations in the Antarctic and that the principal body of knowledge and experience of Antarctic air operations, and its current challenges, lies with the operators of National Antarctic Programmes;
Acknowledging that any technical criteria must not impair the right of aerial observation granted in Article VII of the Antarctic Treaty;
Desiring to contribute to air safety in Antarctica through updated recommendations;
Recommend to their Governments:
1. for the purpose of ensuring that measures for improved air safety apply to all flights and all aviation-related infrastructure in the Antarctic Treaty area, measures to improve air safety set out in paragraphs 2-10 taking into account the International Civil Aviation Organization (“ICAO”) criteria and the specific features of Antarctica as well as existing practices and services;
2. that, for the purpose of the safety of air operations in the Antarctic Treaty area, Parties should exchange, preferably by 1 September and no later than 15 November each year, information about their planned air operations in accordance with the standardised format of the Electronic Information Exchange System (“EIES”);
3. that, for the purpose of improving air safety in Antarctica, all operators, governmental and non-governmental, operating aircraft or managing air-related infrastructure, camps or aviation facilities or services in the Antarctic Treaty area should be provided, at the request of their Competent Authority or National Antarctic Programme, with a continuously updated compendium produced by COMNAP, known as the COMNAP Antarctic Flight Information Manual (“AFIM”), describing ground facilities, aircraft (including helicopters) and aircraft operating procedures and associated communications facilities in the Antarctic Treaty area (out of the use of which questions of liability will not arise) and, therefore, that they should:
a) facilitate the ongoing revision of AFIM by collective action through COMNAP;
(b) adopt a format in which information provided is kept in a manner that facilitates updating of information;
(c) request their Antarctic operators to provide timely, current and accurate information for the purpose of maintaining the AFIM; and
(d) ensure consistency of information across the various data repositories within the Antarctic Treaty System;
4. that, for the purpose of ensuring mutual awareness of current air operations and exchanging information about them, Parties should designate:
a) Primary Air Information Stations (“PAIS”), which coordinate their own air information and information from their Secondary Air Information Stations (if any) for the purpose of notifying current air operations to other PAIS. These PAIS should have adequate communication facilities able to transmit information by appropriate and agreed means; and
(b) Secondary Air Information Stations (“SAIS”) which comprise stations/bases (including field bases and ships), which provide air information to their parent coordinating PAIS;
5. that, for the purpose of ensuring effective communications between PAIS, Parties and other operators should ensure that their PAIS have adequate facilities for communicating with other PAIS;
6. that, for the purpose of avoiding air incidents in areas beyond the range of very high frequency (“VHF”) radio coverage of PAIS and SAIS:
a) aircraft outside the areas covered by PAIS and SAIS should use a specific radio frequency to apply the Traffic Information Broadcast by Aircraft (“TIBA”) procedure, laid down in Annex 11 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation;
(b) transponders in all aircraft must be switched on at all times during flight in the Antarctic Treaty area; and
(c) in addition, operators should strongly consider the installation and use of Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (“ADS-B”) In and/or Traffic Collision Avoidance System (“TCAS”) technology in all aircraft operating in the Antarctic Treaty area;
7. that, so as to ensure compliance with Article VII, paragraph 5 of the Antarctic Treaty and also Recommendation X-8, Part IV, Parties should keep one another informed about non-governmental flights and should request COMNAP to provide access to AFIM to any operator of a non-governmental flight or infrastructure within the Antarctic Treaty area;
8. that, so as to provide for the improved collection from, and for the exchange within Antarctica of meteorological data and information of significance to the safety of, Antarctic air operations, Parties should:
a) encourage the World Meteorological Organization (“WMO”) in its work towards this end;
(b) take steps to improve meteorological services available in Antarctica, specifically to meet aviation requirements; and
(c) take account of the International Antarctic Weather Forecasting Handbook;
9. that, for the purpose of consideration of emergency response that might be required, Parties should consider that any increase in air activity brings with it increased risks that must be managed or mitigated, and in cases of search and rescue (“SAR”) or emergency response, it is the National Antarctic Programmes that are often called upon to respond. This should be considered when Parties are made aware of non-governmental applications for air activities that are not in support of science;
10. that, for the purpose of improving air safety in Antarctica, Parties should request that all Antarctic air operators, government and non-governmental alike, ensure that they are aware of safety requirements, have identified alternative landing sites and communicated their intentions in advance directly to the operators of the alternative landing sites, reflecting that many airfields in the Antarctic Treaty area have limited and seasonal capacity and there should be no presumption of capabilities, operations or ability to assist;
11. that, to improve chances of survival in the event of an air accident, the operators of all personned aircraft should ensure that, at least, recommended minimal survival equipment is maintained and carried onboard their aircraft. Such recommended minimal survival equipment to be based on a risk-based approach that considers type of aircraft, number of persons onboard and proposed specifics of the operations, such as whether the operations are intra-Antarctica or inter-Antarctic. The list of recommended minimal survival equipment, shall be maintained through COMNAP and reviewed regularly by all operators; and
12. that Resolution 6 (2021) is no longer current.
