In the facilities of COCESNA-ACSA, in Alajuela, Costa Rica, from October 21 to 25, 2019, took place the Workshops on Operational Safety Assessment for Airports, and the Implementation of Runway Safety Teams (RST), counting with thirty-eight (38) participants, representing the States of: Aruba, Belize, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America.
Both workshops were coordinated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Airports Council International (ACI).
On the first two days (October 21-22) the workshop focused on operational safety assessments. A safety assessment is a process to address the impact of a safety concern, including a change or deviation in safety operations at the aerodrome and takes into account aerodrome capacity and efficiency of operations as appropriate.
The implementation of Runway Operational Safety Teams (October 23-25) addressed issues that have been addressed jointly in recent years with international organizations such as Airports Council International (ACI), through the publication of best practice guidance material and through the ICAO Runway Operational Safety Program and a series of related events. The topics covered were: Runway incursions (RI), Runway excursions (RE), and general confusion, damage caused by Foreign Object Damage (FOD), and wildlife management which have become very important for operational aspects of runway safety.
The Workshop on Airport Safety Assessment and implementation of Runway Safety Teams (RST) conducted by ICAO/FAA and ACI. It provided practical exercises for the participants, technical guidelines and an opportunity to evaluate the terms of reference for establishing RST.