UN aviation gathering opens under shadow of cyberattacks, geopolitical tensions

By Allison Lampert

Sept 23 (Reuters) - A global gathering of aviation leaders that kicked off on Tuesday in Montreal faced U.S. criticism over its green focus, even as delegates confront high tech threats, pollution from rising numbers of flights and labor shortages.

Technology is easing global aviation but remains vulnerable to attacks, with some of Europe's biggest airports still facing disruptions on Monday after hackers knocked out automated check-in systems.

The United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization warned that a global system now serving about 4.6 billion passengers a year needs work if it is to accommodate nearly triple that number by 2050.

"A system currently built to serve 4.6 billion passengers will not accommodate three times that number, unless we ensure its transformation," ICAO council President Salvatore Sciacchitano said.

Several delegates at ICAO's triennial assembly, which runs through October 3, defended its environmental goals, after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged the agency to focus on aviation safety and security instead.

The agency, created in 1944 to manage the skies with a consensus-driven approach, is facing geopolitical tensions. Its 36-state governing council has weighed in on Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and actions by North Korea, reproaching them for disturbances to critical satellite navigation systems that violated international rules on aviation.

"You know even during the Cold War era, after the USSR joined ICAO, there was cooperation in this very particular technical field that was not taking place outside," said Vincent Correia, co-director of McGill University's Institute of Air and Space Law in Montreal.

"I tend to be optimistic, but ... I know as well that the tensions are very, very high at the moment."

In a working paper, North Korea accused ICAO's council of a double standard for not taking action against South Korea for alleged military drone infiltration of its skies.

Moscow said the Russian delegation will work on promoting the country's bid for membership on council after losing its seat during the last assembly in 2022. Reuters reported on Monday that Russia is also calling for an easing of aviation-related boycotts.

Countries and carriers will also be under pressure to make advances on reducing pollution from flight, with airline trade group IATA acknowledging that the industry will not hit a target of reducing emissions by 5% in 2030.

"It is clear that there are some airlines who struggle to see how we can afford the transition to net zero," IATA Director General Willie Walsh told reporters last week. Walsh said carriers were still committed to reducing pollution.

Aviation is facing a staffing shortage as travel has spiked since the end of the pandemic, with India asking for a hiring code of conduct to avoid its pilots being poached.

Global passenger traffic is projected to grow to 7.2 billion by 2035, compared with 4.6 billion travelers in 2024. An additional 670,000 pilots alone will be needed by 2043, ICAO estimates.

Brazil, whose travel sector is expected to grow 10% a year, is trying to attract and retain more women and minorities as it is already short on mechanics and fears a bigger shortfall looming.

"Fifty-one percent of our population are women and only 3% of our pilots are women," said Tiago Faierstein, the recently appointed president of Brazilian civil aviation regulator ANAC.