Good morning, and thank you, Marc [Gregoire], for that kind and
generous welcome. This gathering is one more reminder that the
partnership, friendship and commitment between and among the
countries of the Western Hemisphere is strong and growing stronger.
The partnerships that we’re building here serve as a
cornerstone for aviation. These meetings continue to build upon
that and everyone who flies to and through our countries
benefits.
If there’s one thing on which we all agree it’s that
we need to modernize and transform our aviation system. The status
quo simply will not suffice. We know that more than a billion
passengers are headed our way. With our system stretched thin as it
is in terms of capacity and efficiency we must find a better way to
operate a better way to do business.
That way is NextGen. It will be the perfect meld of technology,
policy, plans and procedures to accommodate the swell in traffic
that’s headed our way. It’s important to note that
those billion passengers won’t just be in U.S. airspace
alone. Forecasts project heavier volumes up and down our
Hemisphere. With NextGen, we’ll be ready.
Through this partnership we share, we have a long history of
working together to improve safety and efficiency. I’m
expecting much of the same for our work together on NextGen. Our
Secretary of Transportation, Mary Peters, already has discussed
this project with international leaders. That commitment is
reassuring to all of us.
Looking forward, when ICAO holds its triennial assembly this
September, we’ll be facing many issues that will have a
profound impact on the future of aviation across the globe and
across our borders. With regard to emissions, I think there’s
little doubt that we need to move forward to improve our
environment. The United States supports an approach based on
aviation’s traditional strengths of technological innovation
to manage long-term emissions growth. Together, we need to promote
better scientific understanding of the potential impacts of
aviation emissions. We need to accelerate improvements in air
traffic efficiency. We also must foster energy efficiency in
aircraft and engines especially with respect to the development of
alternative fuel sources for aviation. But we must march forward
together. Unilateral impositions on this issue will drive us apart
leaving the issue itself unresolved. We can’t afford
that.
In addition to making aviation as green as possible, we also
need to continue our efforts to make it as safe as possible. As you
know, the United States supports ICAO’s universal safety
oversight audit program. It is a consistent and systematic way to
implement and monitor safety standards throughout the world.
Let’s face it. As a group, we need to be using the same
yardstick. That’s why we’re recommending the
incorporation of safety risk analysis into the program. A systems
safety approach is the smart way to go. It’s effective.
It’s efficient. And it reveals accident predictors before
they become significant safety problems.
I think that anytime you create a
system of regular, mandatory, systematic and harmonized safety
audits in place all 190 of ICAO’s contracting states will
take a huge step forward in safety. Data-driven improvements are
the bread-and-butter of the future of aviation safety.
Likewise, we remain committed to making GPS available to the
global community. It needs to be free of direct user fees.
I’ve gone on record many, many times on this issue. Satellite
navigation is the foundation of the next generation. We’re
moving forward with WAAS in North America. We support testing and
development of WAAS capabilities to provide safe and seamless
service throughout the western hemisphere.
In closing, let me say how optimistic I am this partnership we
share can help benefit our passengers and our peoples well beyond
our respective borders. We have learned that in unity there is
strength. And we have learned that together we can make a
difference. I look forward, as do we all, to continue that
tradition. Thank you.