The 11th meeting of the EUR Search and Rescue Task Force (EUR SAR TF/11) convened at the ICAO European and North Atlantic Regional Office (ICAO EUR/NAT) on September 15th and 16th, 2022, marking a significant step in advancing aviation safety across the European region. This gathering brought together 34 experts and participants representing 18 States and 4 international organizations, including key entities like EUROCONTROL, the European Commission, and the International Cospas-Sarsat Programme, all dedicated to strengthening Search and Rescue (SAR) operations within Europe.
Mr. Nicolas Rallo, the ICAO EUR/NAT Regional Director, initiated the meeting by expressing his gratitude to the attendees for their commitment to enhancing SAR capabilities. He underscored the Regional Office’s core priorities in SAR, particularly emphasizing the critical need to bolster safety oversight throughout the region. This is essential to ensure that all States are diligently meeting their obligations as outlined in Annex 12 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation and the EUR SAR Plan (EUR Doc 039), the foundational documents guiding SAR operations in Europe.
A key achievement highlighted during the EUR SAR TF/11 was the successful completion of comprehensive guidance material designed to tackle the complexities of effective SAR system oversight. This pivotal resource has been made publicly accessible on the ICAO EUR/NAT webpage, providing States with valuable tools and frameworks to improve their SAR operations. The Task Force reaffirmed its commitment to the effective implementation of these EUR documents, aiming to tangibly enhance the SAR capabilities of each State within the European region and elevate the overall safety net for aviation.
Furthermore, the EUR SAR TF/11 participants engaged in a thorough review of the latest ICAO provisions concerning the Global Aeronautical Distress & Safety System (GADSS), which includes Autonomous Distress Tracking (ADT). A critical aspect of GADSS is the requirement for aircraft to be equipped with Emergency Locator Transmitters designed for distress tracking (ELT (DT)). Recognizing this, the meeting participants reached a consensus on the urgent need to establish a robust communications infrastructure capable of processing and transmitting ELT (DT) signals efficiently to SAR points of contact (SPOC) across various EUR States. This infrastructure development includes the implementation of a Location of Aircraft in Distress Repository (LADR), a vital system for collecting and sharing ADT data, ensuring swift and coordinated responses in distress situations.
The progress and outcomes of the EUR SAR Task Force’s ongoing work are set to be presented at the forthcoming meeting of the ICAO/IMO Joint Working Group on harmonization of aeronautical and maritime Search and Rescue (ICAO/IMO JWG-SAR), scheduled for October 16-21, 2022. This inter-agency collaboration underscores the global effort to harmonize and strengthen SAR operations across both aviation and maritime domains, further reinforcing the commitment to safety and effective response mechanisms worldwide.
