I would like first of all to welcome you all to Cyprus and I hope you will find a little free time to enjoy some of the interesting places of our island. Allow me to express my special thanks to the Flight Safety Foundation, the Eurocontrol and the European Regions Airline Association for choosing Cyprus as the venue for this year 's " Annual European Air Safety Conference ". Judging from the agenda and the list of the distinguished speakers and participants, it is evident that this Conference is of great importance and I am certain that it will be very successful.
It is generally recognized that through globalisation and the ever increasing interdependency between regions and states, civil aviation and air transport in general make an increasingly significant contribution to the economic, commercial, tourist and even social development of all states. This importance is even greater for countries like Cyprus, which is an island and its economy depends heavily on tourism. The importance of civil aviation can be clearly stated through the following European statistics, which I am sure you are all familiar with:
During the last fifteen years the number of flights in Europe alone has doubled, reaching the staggering figure of 12 million annually. Despite the current economic crisis, this figure is still expected to rise to 20 millions by the year 2020. These flights carry safely some 500 million people annually and millions of tons of freight worth several billions of euros. They are controlled by 17,000 air traffic controllers working in 48 countries from 67 control centres which are divided into 671 sectors and 430 control towers, at an annual cost of 8 billion euros.
Yet, despite these staggering statistics and the technical, operational and other complexities in managing this great and ever increasing number of flights, air travel continues to be the safest mode of transport and its safety performance is improving year after year. According to ICAO statistics, in Europe and the United States the number of fatalities from air accidents during the whole history of civil aviation is smaller than the number of fatalities from road accidents in one single year. Of course this should not lead to complacency. The loss of one life is too much and efforts should be continued for zero accidents.
Of course this performance would not have been achieved, had it not been for the sustained improvements in technology, procedures, human resources, and above all the improved cooperation between all the participants in the aviation industry and between the various regions and states. And cooperation, ladies and gentlemen, is the key to the future development of the aviation industry in general and flight safety in particular. After all, air travel is by its nature a transnational and interregional activity. Therefore, its development can only be achieved by the adoption of a multilateral and cooperative approach.
At a global level, international cooperation is conducted within the framework of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Since its creation, ICAO has contributed effectively in enhancing all aspects of aviation, including of course safety. Nevertheless, where ICAO has proven its indispensable presence, is in its ability to organise in an orderly manner and within a legal and internationally accepted framework a complex, multifaceted and rapidly changing global civil aviation system. I consider that it is the duty of all of us to operate within this legal framework and make every effort to strengthen the international role of ICAO.
If we now turn to Europe, it is again quite evident that without the cooperation of practically all European states within the framework of the European Union, the Eurocontrol and other bodies, the progress that has been achieved in the last years would not have been possible,neither would it be possible to accommodate safely the continuously increasing number of flights.
Referring specifically to the issue of aviation safety itself, in Europe there have been significant developments that contributed greatly to its enhancement. Such initiatives are the creation of EASA, the EU Regulations relating to the "Single European Sky", the work of the Performance Review Commission and the Safety Regulation Commission and others. It would be of course an ommission if I did not mention the important work of the Flight Safety Foundation and its significant contribution to the enhancement of global civil aviation safety. I should also mention the important role of all other stakeholders in the aviation industry such as airlines, and in particular the European Regional Airlines organisation, aircraft manufacturers, pilots and controllers associations, service providers, regulators e.t.c
Let me now refer briefly to civil aviation in my country. As you know, Cyprus was brutally invaded in 1974. Along with the devastation of practically all sectors of the economy, civil aviation suffered total destruction. The Nicosia Airport, the only one on the island, was destroyed and became totally inoperable.The air traffic control and communication systems and practically all aviation infrastructure were totally destroyed. Despite this devastation, we have managed to gradually rebuild our infrastructure and today civil aviation in Cyprus is very much comparable with any other European state. We are proud to say that we have built two brand new and modern international airports, one in Pafos which is already in operation and the main international airport in Larnaca which is expected to begin operations in November this year. Similarly a new state of the art air traffic control system will be completed in the next few months, along with a new secondary radar and other facilities. In parallel, we are in the process of restructuring the Civil Aviation Department by installing new institutional arrangements which would give flexibility to an independent service provider and at the same time improve the effectiveness of regulation and oversight of the State.
These projects and indeed all our aviation policies and procedures are based on international law and are carried out within the framework of the ICAO Convention and the relevant principles of the European Union and the Eurocontrol.
Unlike any other European country, Cyprus is adjacent to five non-European countries and its FIR is the first point of entry and exit for traffic between the East and Europe and reversely. This, as you may realize, makes coordination and interoperability much more difficult and therefore our controllers are faced with an extra challenge. This challenge becomes even greater by the refusal of Turkey to cooperate with our air traffic control services, contrary to the relevant provisions of the ICAO convention. Even when certain international institutions tried to find a technical solution to the problem, the turkish position was again negative. In addition, Turkey refuses to allow the use of its airspace by cypriot airlines. This refusal is illegal and against all international laws. Furthermore, it exposes our airlines to unfair competition, it leads to delays and it is detrimental to the environment.
Yet, despite all these challenges, in 2008 our controllers managed safely in the Nicosia FIR 260.000 flights, carrying some 20 million passengers. For a small country like Cyprus, these are impressive figures.
Cyprus, as the only country of the region which is a member of the European Union and the Eurocontrol, can potentially play a regional role in facilitating the adoption of common aviation standards and procedures by the Middle East and European regions. This is something that could undoubtedly contribute significantly to the enhancement of safety.
The Cyprus Government has recognised this regional role and has taken specific initiatives in that respect. Firstly we created in 2003 the EMAC mechanism (European- M. East ATM Coordination). This mechanism is based on a Protocol signed by the Ministers of Transport of Cyprus, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria and is supported by ICAO, the Eurocontrol and the European Commission. Its main objective is to enhance cooperation between Europe and the Middle East in civil aviation issues. With finance by the EC and Cyprus, EMAC has already completed several regional projects, some of which relating to safety.
Secondly, another important initiative is the participation of Cyprus together with Italy, Greece and Malta in the Blue-med project. This project, which is also supported and financed by the European Commission, aims at the creation of a "Functional Block of Airspace - FAB ", by the participating states. Again one of the main objectives of Blue-Med is to improve safety.
At this stage, I would like to welcome the establishment in Cyprus of a regional "Flight Safety Foundation Branch" to cover the South East Mediterranean region. I take this opportunity to thank the President of the Flight Safety Foundation Mr. William Voss who supported this proposal and the President of the Hellenic Air Accident Investigation Committee and Chairman of the FSF SE Europe, Mr Akrivos Tsolakis and Mr Christos Petrou from the Eurocontrol for their efforts in bringing to a successful conclusion this important initiative. I would like to reiterate the Governmentʼs and my personal commitment to support the project in any possible way.
We believe that such a regional initiative would contribute effectively to the attainment of the global objectives of the "Flight Safety Foundation " and improve the cooperation between the states of the region.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me conclude my short intervention by saying that everybody involved in civil aviation has a very important role to play. But those who are involved in safety have a really special role. Safety is a top priority and it is an activity that should never be taken for granted.
I welcome you again in Cyprus and wish you a very successful conference.