in the turbulence of the current crisis”

Distinguished guests and speakers,

It is with great pleasure that I have accepted the invitation by the Flight Safety Foundation Mediterranean to address this important conference. It is not very often that practically the whole international aviation community is jointly participating in one single event, and it is not easy to assemble so many professionals from all sectors of the air transport industry.

In this respect, I would like to congratulate the Flight Safety Foundation Mediterranean for the excellent work it is doing in promoting safety in Cyprus and the region.

Apart from the importance of the topics to be discussed, events like this also promote regional cooperation in aviation, something that is of paramount importance for the development of the sector. The strategic location of Cyprus and its status as a member of EUROCONTROL and the European Union, allows it to play a potential leading role in developing such regional cooperation. Indeed, this is the policy of the Cyprus Government.

I have no doubt that the conclusions reached by the delegates in the conference will be valuable for the airlines and government regulators in better understanding the constraints imposed on the working environment of the air transport industry.

Air transport is comparatively a young mode of transport. It is an enabler for the fast movement of people and cargo, and its commercialization, in the last few decades, has changed the transport scene. World economy and social interaction are now depending heavily on the performance of the industry. Its contribution to the economy in terms of employment, manufacturing of aerospace products, research and development, is undoubtedly immense.

At the same time, air travel continues to be the safest mode of transport. Despite the increasing number of flights, the rate of accidents continues to diminish. IATA stated that in 2012 the global accident rate for western–built jets was the lowest in aviation history. The rate is 0.2%, that is to say one accident for every five million flights. Our aim should be to improve this rate in order to make flights safer. It is worth mentioning that everyday there are 100.000 flights in the world of which at least 35.000 take place in Europe.

These improvements in safety standards are of course a result of technological and institutional developments, improved regulatory practices and above all cooperation with all parties concerned at national, regional and international level.

In Europe, the European Commission and EASA have created a well regulated environment for the EU carriers in terms of safety. Measures exist on the licensing of air carriers, flight crew, maintenance and third countries aircraft assessment. More recently EASA extended its competency in Air Traffic Control and Airport Certification. These measures are adhered to and are monitored by the National Aviation Authorities of each member state.

As regards the economic aspects of the industry, several questions need to be answered:

· Do we expect the economic crisis in Europe to adversely affect the human input into the flight?

· And what do we expect the regulators to do in this case?

· Do they have to take a proactive stance or disregard the crisis and be complacent?

· At the airline company level is the economic pressure a factor that will change the way of thinking?

I expect that these questions and many others will be addressed at the conference.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Since the topic of this conference relates to aviation safety, it would be an omission not to mention the safety concerns in the Nicosia FIR, which result from the refusal of the Turkish civil aviation authorities to communicate with or have any contacts with the Cyprus authorities, contrary to the provisions of the ICAO Convention and the policies of the European Union.

In addition the illegal Tymbou Control Centre constantly interferes with traffic in the Nicosia FIR, thus complicating the situation further.

These concerns are also the concerns of the international organizations that deal with aviation and which tried in the past to find at least some technical solutions that would alleviate the dangers to safety. We, on our part, cooperated very positively in finding such solutions and we shall continue to do so, always of course in compliance with international law and the ICAO Convention. Regrettably these efforts have not produced any results due to the insistence of Turkey to involve the illegal control centre.

I wish all of you to have a very productive conference, and for all those who came from abroad I hope you have a very pleasant stay in our country.