International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

The International Civil Aviation Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth.

Its headquarters are located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

International Commission for Air Navigation (ICAN) was forerunner of ICAO, which continued to operate until 1945. In 1944, 52 countries signed the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the Chicago Convention, in Chicago, under whose terms, a Provisional International Civil Aviation Organization (PICAO) was to be established. Thus in 1945, PICAO was established replacing ICAN.

In 1947, PICAO was disestablished and replaced by ICAO. In October 1947, ICAO became a specialized agency of the United Nations linked to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

As of November 2017, there are 192 ICAO members, consisting of 191 of the 193 UN members (all but Dominica and Liechtenstein), plus the Cook Islands.

Economics Special: UDAN-II

The government has awarded 325 more routes to airlines as well as helicopter operators under its regional connectivity scheme (RCS) with an emphasis on enhancing flight services to hilly and remote areas, including Kargil. 

• A total of 56 new airports and helipads are being connected to 36 existing aerodromes.

• The routes have been awarded to 15 airlines and helicopter operators after the bidding process for second round of RCS, also known as UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik), which aims to connect tier-2 and tier-3 cities and take flying to the masses. 

• While helicopter operators did not show any interest in the first round of the RCS, four of them have been granted rights to fly on selected routes this time.