Jamaica Minister of Transportation, the Hon. Robert Montague has signed the Headquarters Agreement of the Caribbean Aviation Safety and Security Oversight System (CASSOS), a Community Institution.

Minister Montague signed the Agreement at the 25th Meeting of the Board of Directors of CASSOS at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on 21 February 2020.

The Agreement formalises the decision of the Conference of Heads of Government on the location of the CASSOS Headquarters in Jamaica. The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) hosts the headquarters.

In an address at the opening of the Meeting of the Board of Directors, Minister Montague underscored the importance of CASSOS to the Region.  As we managed our “increasingly complex” aviation systems, he said that it was essential for CASSOS, as the regional safety oversight organisation, to work collaboratively to support safe and sustainable air transport development.

He pointed out that it remained the duty of civil aviation authorities, regulators, airlines, manufacturers and suppliers to deliver on, and exceed, the high expectations of passengers and ensure that air travel remained the safest form of mass transportation worldwide.

“With aviation safety rightfully remaining the industry’s top priority, we know that ensuring air transport safety and security requires an integrated approach – one characterized by deep cross-border cooperation that transcends physical boundaries and the domains of sovereignty. Like the links of a chain, the regional and global aviation systems are interconnected and interdependent, and our airspace, airports, skies, technologies, systems and most importantly, our passengers, remain safe through effective and increasing cooperation and collaboration at the regional and international levels,” he said.

He added that the Government of Jamaica and regional partners remained committed to ensuring the administrative, resource and financial support.

CASSOS, which was launched at the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana, in 2009, is headed by Mr. Nari Singh, Director-General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Jamaica.