The General Secretariat of the Central American Integration System (SG-SICA) extended a cordial invitation to COCESNA, to participate in a virtual meeting with the Directors of Aeronautics/Civil Aviation of SICA, on April 27, 2020, under the moderation of the Secretary General of SICA Dr. Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo and the Chief of Cabinet SG-SICA Lic. Olinda Salguero, to meet the following agenda:
- Opening remarks Secretary General of SICA, Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo;
- Remarks by the Director General of Civil Aeronautics of Guatemala, Pro Tempore Presidency COCESNA, Francis Argueta;
- Remarks by COCESNA’s Executive President, Juan Carlos Trabanino Aguirre;
- Exchange of experiences, best practices and perspectives of the Directors General of Civil Aeronautics; and
- Closing remarks by the Pro Tempore Presidency of COCESNA and the General Secretariat of SICA.
COCESNA was also represented by Eng. Gabriel Quirós, Director of ACNA and Eng. Giovanni Tobar, GEREMAC Manager.
Some of the phrases expressed by Mr. Juan Carlos Trabanino Aguirre, as Executive President of COCESNA are summarized below:
“I am grateful for having considered COCESNA to learn more about the efforts that SICA for having considered COCESNA to learn more about the efforts that SICA is making with the different strategic axes and its role in the containment, mitigation and economic recovery of all sectors in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the most affected industries, whose recovery is expected to be gradually slow, is aviation, as it is currently mobilizing only 10% of traffic, mainly cargo and humanitarian. This has put airlines in a critical situation, which do not foresee a quick economic recovery if biosecurity measures can reduce passenger transport capacity, added to the fact of fears and priorities of travel due to contamination risks or restrictions on passenger entry and exit, quarantines, etc. To be extended by the countries according to their own situations and measures in the face of the spread of the virus.
From the perspective of air navigation service providers, both the States and COCESNA, as a specialized agency of the Central American integration, their revenues from flight protection services have also been reduced by an average of 90%. and the recovery will vary from the most pessimistic to the most optimistic scenario, when everything returns to normal, as they depend on the income received directly and, exclusively in the case of COCESNA, from the Users, airlines and operators that fly over the region.
In the sixty years of uninterrupted operation of COCESNA, there has never been a similar situation, which is why every effort and regional support that contributes to the economic recovery of the companies and institutions that are essential and guarantors of safety in air operations, in addition to ensuring the source of work and the livelihood of our specialists and their families, are highly desirable..“
Credit photographs and partial information from SICA.