ICAO adopts Annex 6 Part IV, approves inclusive standards for manned and unmanned vehicles

On 18 March, the ICAO Council convened in Montreal, Canada, and ushered in a new era of aviation regulation with the adoption of Part IV of Annex 6 to the Chicago Convention. This development marks a significant departure from tradition as it encompasses both air transport and aerial systems, a first in ICAO’s history.

Under the newly adopted regulations, commercial and non-commercial operations will adhere to the same standards, reflecting a progressive shift in approach. Notably, a dedicated chapter focusing on operators, a novel inclusion, underscores the evolving landscape of aviation.

A pivotal aspect of the regulation is the categorization of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) operations into open, specific, and certified risk-based categories. This move aligns with ICAO’s commitment to comprehensive and inclusive standards, departing from previous regional approaches.

Filippo Tomasello, senior partner of EuroUSC Italia, had the honour of initiating the work for this new Annex around 2010, when he was chairing the ICAO Group on the subject. He declares: “It took almost 15 years to have the text adopted, but I humbly believe that it will be a real breakthrough towards the disruptive innovation of unmanned and digital aviation.”

Marco Ducci, CEO at EuroUSC Italia, states: “EuroUSC Italia is a micro company and therefore it has limited resources. However, we spend part of them to remain always updated on the state of the art on rules and standards, to be so able to provide to our customers always the latest information.”

(Image: Giovanni Barraco, head of the Italian delegation, Ron van de Leijgraaf, Chairman of the Panel, the Chinese delegation Professor Guan Hong and Professor Hao Lui, Filippo Tomasello)