PREGUNTAS FRECUENTES

Has the deadline of 5 March 2008 for the implementation of the language proficiency requirements been changed?

No, the applicability date of 5 March 2008 is retained. However, the 36th Assembly of ICAO (September 2007) urged Contracting States to accept in their own airspace until 5 March 2011, pilots from other States that are not in a position to comply with the language proficiency requirements by 5 March 2008 provided that the States that issued or rendered valid the licenses post on the ICAO Flight Safety Exchange FSIX their language proficiency implementation plans. In addition, the Assembly also urged Contracting States not to restrict their operators, conducting commercial or general aviation operations, from entering the airspace of other Contracting States where air traffic controllers or radio station operators do not yet meet the language proficiency requirements until 5 March 2011, provided that those States post their language proficiency implementation plans.

The plan shall describe:
the steps that are taken to achieve compliance with the language proficiency requirement by March 2011; and the interim measures that are in place to mitigate risk, as required, for pilots, air traffic controllers and aeronautical station operators involved in international operations.
Guidelines to States on the development of implementation plans are contained in State Letter 07/68 dated 26 October 2007 which is available in Arabic (ar), Chinese (zh), English (en), French (fr), Russian (ru) and Spanish (es) at http://www.icao.int/fsix/lp.cfm.