Page 66 - Planning and Design of Airports

44 Airp o r t Pl anning

preempted the legislative and administrative controls since the early
days of aviation. However, for those aviation activities which occur
wholly within the borders of a state, there have been formed regula-
tory agencies at the state level to oversee that these activities are oper-
ated in the best interests of the state.
Many state aviation agencies are participant members in the
National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO). The mis-
sion of NASAO is to provide representation in Washington, D.C. on
behalf of state aviation departments. Links to individual state avia-
tion departments as well as a host of informational materials may be
found on the NASAO website at http://www.nasao.org.

The International Civil Aviation Organization
Perhaps the most important international agency concerned with air-
port development is the International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO), which is now a specialized agency of the United Nations
with headquarters in Montreal, Canada. One hundred and eighty-
eight nations were members of ICAO in 2009.
The ICAO concept was formed during a conference of 52 nations
held in Chicago in 1944. This conference was by the invitation of the
United States to consider matters of mutual interest in the field of air
transportation. The objectives of ICAO as stated in its charter are to
develop the principles and techniques of international air transporta-
tion so as to
1. Ensure the safe and orderly growth of international civil avia-
tion throughout the world
2. Encourage the arts of aircraft design and operation for peace-
ful purposes
3. Encourage the development of airways, airports, and air nav-
igation facilities for international aviation
4. Meet the needs of the peoples of the world for safe, regular,
efficient, and economical air transport
5. Prevent economic waste by unreasonable competition
6. Ensure that the rights of contracting states are fully respected
and that every contracting state has a fair opportunity to
operate international airlines
7. Avoid discrimination between contracting states
8. Promote safety of flight in international air navigation
9. Promote generally the development of all aspects of interna-
tional civil aeronautics
The ICAO has two governing bodies, the Assembly and the
Council. The Council is a permanent body responsible to the Assembly