In the framework of their cooperation within capacity building project, ACAO and ICAO organised jointly the fifth Meeting of Middle East North Africa Aircraft Accident and incident Investigation Regional Cooperation Mechanism (MENA ARCM/5), generously hosted by The transport Safety Bureau at the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MoTCIT) in Muscat, Oman, 7 May 2024, Back-to-back with this This meeting, was organised the conference on “Assistance to Aircraft Accident Victims and their Families”, the 8-19 May 2024.
The conference opened under the patronage of H.E Dr. Hilal bin Ali al Sabti, Minister of Health, in the presence of H.E Said bin Hamood al Mawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology.
Capt. Majid bin Saif al Barhi, Director General of Maritime Affairs at MTCIT, reaffirmed Oman’s commitment to international recommendations following its signing of the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation. He emphasised the sultanate’s dedication to maintaining the highest air safety standards for the growth and prosperity of the aviation sector locally and globally.
Capt. Aysha al Hamili, Chairperson of the Regional Coordination Mechanism Committee for Investigating Aircraft Accidents and Incidents in the Middle East and North Africa, highlighted the conference’s role as a platform for collaboration among stakeholders in the civil aviation sector, while focusing on the importance of cooperation between transport companies, airports, governmental and semi-governmental agencies, international organisations, and victim support associations.
The meeting provided a report Progress on Areas of Cooperation, an Update on the Collected Data regarding the accident/incident investigation as well as the data sharing solution and challenges, the MENA ARCM Technical Assistance Process and an overview on the Upcoming Events/Activities.
The Two- days Conference provided an overview on shared experiences from regulators, accident investigation authorities, and industry perspective as well as best practices in the communication of sensitive information on aircraft accidents, information management.
About 20 participants attended the meeting and the conference was attended by a total of two hundred participants from Nine (7) MENA ARCM Member States (Egypt, Djibouti, Iran, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE), Three (3) Observer States (ENAC Italy, US-FAA & Qatar) and two (9) international Organizations/ industries (ACAO, ICAO, Emirates, Etihad, Air Arabia, Jazeera Airways, Oman Air, Salam Air, Kenyon).