Every ICAO contracting state has legally binding obligations under the Chicago Convention to oversee civil aviation safety, security, and efficiency within its territory.
ICAO defines eight critical elements (CEs) of a State safety oversight system that every member state must establish and maintain.
Establish and maintain a primary aviation act enabling the state to meet its obligations under the Chicago Convention.
Enact specific, detailed operating regulations covering all areas of civil aviation — licensing, operations, airworthiness, aerodromes.
Establish a civil aviation authority (CAA) with sufficient technical and operational staff to fulfill safety oversight responsibilities.
Ensure that technical personnel performing safety oversight functions are qualified, trained, and current in their areas of responsibility.
Provide technical guidance, tools, and safety-critical information to inspectors and the aviation industry to implement regulations.
Issue licenses, certificates, approvals, and authorizations in accordance with applicable regulations and international standards.
Conduct inspections, audits, and surveillance of licensed organizations and individuals to verify ongoing compliance with requirements.
Have processes in place to resolve identified safety concerns including the authority to take enforcement action up to certificate suspension.
Every contracting state must designate a competent authority responsible for the implementation and oversight of safety-related Standards and Recommended Practices. This authority — typically called a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) or Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) — must be independent from commercial interests and have the legal authority to take enforcement action.
The CAA must be adequately resourced with qualified technical staff including: flight operations inspectors, airworthiness engineers, aerodrome inspectors, air navigation services specialists, and aviation security personnel. ICAO assesses each state's CAA through its Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP).
States must establish a licensing system for flight crew (pilots, flight engineers, flight navigators), air traffic controllers, aeronautical station operators, and aircraft maintenance personnel. Licenses must be based on ICAO Annex 1 standards covering knowledge tests, skill tests, medical assessments, and experience requirements.
States must recognize each other's licenses when they are issued in accordance with ICAO Annex 1 standards, enabling international mobility of aviation professionals. States must also establish medical assessment centres and designate aviation medical examiners (AMEs) authorized to conduct Class 1, 2, and 3 medical examinations.
Under Article 1 of the Chicago Convention, every state has complete and exclusive sovereignty over airspace above its territory. With this sovereignty comes responsibility: states must provide air traffic services (ATS) within their delegated airspace, maintain aeronautical information, and ensure the safety of all aircraft operating in their airspace.
States designate Flight Information Regions (FIRs) within their airspace and must provide at minimum a Flight Information Service (FIS) and Alerting Service. Many states also provide Air Traffic Control Service in controlled airspace. States must establish an Aeronautical Information Service (AIS) to publish aeronautical information through an Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP).
Under Annex 13, the state in whose territory an accident occurs is responsible for instituting an inquiry into the circumstances of the accident. The investigation must be conducted by an independent body — separate from the CAA and from any judicial or administrative proceedings — with the sole objective of prevention of future accidents.
The state of registry, state of operator, state of design, and state of manufacture all have rights to appoint accredited representatives to participate in the investigation. Final accident reports must be sent to all relevant states and to ICAO within 12 months of the accident date, with interim reports if the investigation takes longer.
Annex 19 requires each state to establish a State Safety Programme (SSP) — an integrated set of regulations and activities aimed at improving safety. The SSP must include four components: State Safety Policy and Objectives, State Safety Risk Management, State Safety Assurance, and State Safety Promotion.
As part of the SSP, states must require aviation service providers — airlines, airports, ANSPs, MROs — to implement Safety Management Systems (SMS). The SSP establishes the Acceptable Level of Safety Performance (ALoSP) for the state and monitors whether service providers are meeting it.
Under Annex 17, each state must establish a National Civil Aviation Security Programme (NCASP) defining the security measures and procedures for civil aviation within the state. The NCASP must designate a National Civil Aviation Security Authority and define the responsibilities of all relevant stakeholders.
States must ensure that all airports serving international civil aviation establish and implement Airport Security Programmes, and that aircraft operators implement Aircraft Operator Security Programmes. ICAO conducts Universal Security Audit Programme (USAP) audits to verify compliance with Annex 17 standards.
States must implement Annex 16 standards for aircraft noise certification and engine emissions certification when registering aircraft or validating foreign certificates. No aircraft may operate internationally without a valid noise certificate where required.
Under CORSIA, states with airlines that operate international routes are required to ensure their operators monitor, report, and verify (MRV) CO2 emissions. From 2027, operators from participating states must offset growth in emissions above 2020 baseline levels by purchasing carbon credits from approved offset programmes.
ICAO's USOAP Continuous Monitoring Approach (CMA) is a risk-based programme that conducts safety audits of member states to assess their effective implementation of ICAO SARPs and safety oversight provisions.
Each state receives an Effective Implementation (EI) score representing the percentage of ICAO safety-related provisions that the state is effectively implementing. States with low EI scores may be subject to more frequent audits and technical assistance.
ICAO publishes the results of safety audits in a publicly accessible database — the ICAO Compliance and Implementation (iSTARS) portal — allowing airlines, passengers, and other states to assess the safety performance of any member state.
Learn how ICAO's Safety Management System and State Safety Programme work together to achieve the world's safest form of transport.