Top  

NORTH ATLANTIC SYSTEMS PLANNING GROUP

(NAT SPG)

The NAT SPG was established by the approval of the ICAO Council on 15 April 1965 (54/20) of Recommendation 4/1 - repro­duced below - of the special North Atlantic Meeting, Montreal, 23 February - 20 March 1965, which specified within its sub-paragraphs the composition, terms of reference and method of operation of the Group.

Recommendation 4/1:  North Atlantic Systems Planning Group

That, in order to ensure continuity in systems planning in the North Atlantic Region between successive North Atlantic Regional Meetings:

a)        The governments of Canada, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States be invited to designate suitably qualified experts to participate on their behalf in the work of a North Atlantic Systems Planning Group with the following terms of reference:

“To continuously study, monitor and evaluate the system in the light of changing traffic characteri­stics, techno­logical advances and updated traffic forecasts, to the end that the North Atlantic Regional Plan may be adjusted on a timely, evolutionary basis.  Through­out this work the group shall give close attention to the effec­tiveness of any suggested changes in relation to their costs.”

b)        Proposals by States for amendment of the North Atlantic Regional Plan that may be developed as a result of studies undertaken by the Group, be submitted for consideration by other North Atlantic States, either at ICAO North Atlantic Regional Meetings convened for the purpose, or by corre­spon­dence in accordance with established pro­cedures.

c)         The Group work with the flexibility and informality required to reduce to a minimum the administrative burden imposed on States and on ICAO.

d)        The Group may invite, as and when it considers necess­ary or desirable, the co-operation and partici­pation of other States and of public or private interna­tional organizations.

e)         The Group meet approximately once a year and at least once every eighteen months either at the ICAO Paris Office, the ICAO Headquarters or elsewhere at the invitation of a State and pursue its work by correspon­dence between successive meetings.

f)          All States of the North Atlantic Region be kept informed of the progress of work in the Group and be encouraged, as well as the international or­ganizations concerned, to submit suggestions to assist the Group in its task

Members:

Modifications of the NAT SPG membership were made on 18 June 1981, when Council (103/12) agreed to the inclusion of Iceland and Portugal, on 23 November 1990, when Council (131/9) agreed to the inclusion of Denmark, on 14 May 1992 when the Kingdom of the Netherlands withdrew its membership and on 24 February 1993 when the Council (138/4) agreed to the inclusion of Norway.

Representatives of Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States are Members of the NAT SPG.

Observers:

Representatives from the Russian Federation and Spain as well as Observers from IATA, IACA, IFALPA, IAOPA, IBAC, IFATCA, and Inmarsat are invited to participate in the work of the NAT SPG.

Secretary:                   

The ICAO Representative, European and North Atlantic Office, serves as the Secretary of the NAT SPG.

Agenda:                        

The NAT SPG normally meets for 4 working days once a year, and the following agenda is normally adopted for the meetings:

Agenda Item 1:  Developments

1.1     ICAO Panels and Committees

1.2     Adjacent Regions

1.3     NAT Provider States

1.4     Technology

Agenda Item 2:  Planning and Implementation

2.1     NAT Traffic Forecasts

2.2     NAT IMG Report

2.3     Review of NAT Implementation Strategy

2.4     Other Planning and Implementation Issues

Agenda Item 3:            Air Navigation System Review

3.1     Operations Review

a)  OPS MNG Report

b)  COM OPS Report

c)  Short Term Issues

3.2     System Safety Performance Review

a)  Scrutiny Report

b)  Mathematical Report

3.3     System Efficiency Review

Agenda Item 4:              Documentation Update

4.1     MNPS OPS Manual

4.2     Guidance Material etc.

4.3     IGA Manual

4.4     NAT SPG Handbook

Agenda Item 5:              Any Other Business

Meeting Documentation:

Working Papers and Information Papers, presented by States, international organizations or the Secretariat, form the basis of the discussions at the NAT SPG Meetings. Working Papers normally contain material which invites a conclusion by the NAT SPG, while Information Papers are submitted in order to provide the Group with information on which no conclusion is required.

Following a verbal presentation, the contents of Working Papers are discussed at the NAT SPG Meetings. The contents of Information Papers are presented verbally and discussed on request only and are normally not reflected in the Summary of Discussions.

Each NAT SPG Meeting is invited to agree on an English version of a Summary of Discussions of the Meeting, and the final version is distributed by the Secretariat in English, French and Russian.

Top