Statement of the Interstate Aviation Committee

         The Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) is expressing deep concern in relation to the safety of aircraft carrying out international flights, their flight crews and passengers, as well as of ground civil objects in connection with the armed conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh with the use of missiles and other kinds of armament.

         IAC has earlier repeatedly submitted to the international organizations, including ICAO and IATA, the initiatives and measures aimed at prevention of downing or damage of civil aircraft, vital civil aviation infrastructure as a result of military actions, including those in active or potential conflict zones. IAC supports the documents, adopted by ICAO, related to the necessity of evaluating risk factors for the civil aircraft flights over the conflict zones and/or near them.

         Air Traffic Control bodies (ATC) and air navigation service providers have taken certain actions, including the introduction of zonal restrictions of international flights. However, the concern is that these measures are not sufficient to completely prevent potential threats to flight safety and human life.

         In connection with this IAC is proposing to do the following in shortest terms:

         - to take a set of measures aimed at the unconditional implementation of the norms of international law and the complete prevention of civil aircraft downing by air defense equipment, as well as the destruction of civil objects and aerodromes by missiles and other means of destruction, taking into consideration the tactical and technical characteristics of weapons in the conflict zone;

         - ATC and air navigation service providers to ensure coordination and interaction with the Ministries of Defense, including the release of the relevant NOTAMs and AIPs to ensure safety in the areas of international flights;

         - airlines flying through the South Caucasus region to assess risk factors to ensure the safety of civil aircraft flights over and/or near conflict zones and strictly monitor and comply NOTAM and AIP notifications in order to avoid risk zones;

         - within the framework of ICAO establish a permanently operating body formed by the representatives of the concerned States and international organizations to timely address the arising conflict situations, which pose threats to civil aviation aircrafts as well as for the oversight of the proper implementation of the recommendations and decisions of ICAO in the field of civil aviation flight safety and aviation security as a whole.

         The IAC expresses the hope that the actions of governments, civil aviation authorities and air transport operators will ensure the safety of civil aviation, compliance with international norms and provisions of the ICAO Chicago Convention and, most importantly, the safety of people.