Glossary of Aviation Terms | ICAO

ICAO | Paramount Business Jets

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is an agency of the United Nations that regulates the principles and techniques of international air navigation and aims to foster the planning and development of international air transport around the world to ensure safe and orderly growth. The ICO is headquartered in the Quartier International of Montreal, Canada.

The ICAO Council adopts standardized and recommended practices, rules, and regulations concerning air navigation, the prevention of unlawful interference, and the facilitation of border-crossing procedures for international civil aviation. Furthermore, the ICAO also defines the protocols and procedures for air accident investigations that are followed by transport safety authorities in countries that have signed the Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the Chicago Convention.

The ICAO should not be confused with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which is an independent trade organization for airlines and also has its headquarters in Montreal. It should also not be confused with the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO), which is an organization for Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSP's) and is headquartered at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands.