Anita Anand, Canada’s Transport Minister and the President of the Treasury Board since September 2024, remarked at a Symposium on Accessibility in International Civil Aviation, jointly hosted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Airports Council International (ACI) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the authorities should address the challenges and devote their efforts to enhance international collaboration to make air travel more accessible.
She outlined some of the barriers to accessibility that affect the dignity and safety of travellers with disabilities and reduced mobility, insisting that the aviation industry must continue current efforts to pursue a seamless, global approach to ensure accessibility at every stage of the travel experience. The goal is a global aviation system that is universally accessible. Persons with disabilities must be included in the conversations that lead to addressing the challenges they face when traveling.
This is also why the Government of Canada held a National Air Accessibility Summit in May 2023 to bring together members of the disability community and industry, to look for immediate and long-term solutions. On the occasion of ICAO’s 80th anniversary, Minister Anand reiterated Canada’s unwavering commitment as both a proud host state and a dedicated member state to helping ICAO reach its vision of a safe, secure, and sustainable global civil aviation system.
The Convention on International Civil Aviation, known more commonly today as the ‘Chicago Convention’, was signed in 1944 and established the core principles permitting the safe and orderly development of international air transport.
This led to the creation of the specialized agency that has overseen it ever since – the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). As a founding member and leading contributor to ICAO, Canada has been a proud host state since 1947, and we are fully committed to ICAO’s mission. Part V of the Canada Transportation Act establishes the framework for ensuring that the federal transportation network is inclusive and barrier-free for persons with disabilities. The Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (2019), developed and enforced by the Canadian Transportation Agency under the authority of the Canada Transportation Act, set rules to make air, rail, marine, interprovincial bus, and terminal services accessible.
Source: Travel and Tour World
