Use a dialect or accent which is intelligible to the aeronautical community.Handle successfully the linguistic challenges presented by a complication or unexpected turn of events which occurs within the context of a routine work situation or communicative task with which they are otherwise familiar and,.Use appropriate communicative strategies to exchange messages and to recognise and resolve misunderstandings in a general or work-related context.
Its Manual on the Implementation of ICAO Language Proficiency Requirements (Doc 9835), states: “Native speakers of English, too, have a fundamentally important role to play in the international efforts to increase communication safety.” According to ICAO, the burden for improving this aspect of aeronautical communications should not be seen as falling solely upon non-native English speakers. By 2013, ICAO reported that some Member States had serious difficulty and called on other nations to assist them.ĮLP involves both native and non-native English speakers. States unable to meet the first deadline were granted time to implement the acceptable language proficiency levels by March 2011. ICAO set its first deadline - March 2008 - for ICAO Member States, planning for ELP standards to take effect at Level 4, Level 5 or Level 6 for all pilots flying international routes and all air traffic controllers serving international airports and routes. In 2011–2021, ICAO and other stakeholders began to refine first-generation ELP standards and recommended practices. Backgroundįor 70 years, ICAO has analyzed risks involving linguistic issues, raised awareness of systemic risks and pursued mitigations. High-level proficiency also enhances situational awareness through controller interactions and monitoring of surrounding air traffic communications. Standardisation of ELP requirements mitigates known risks of accidents in many types of flight operations, including business aviation and commercial air transportation between nations or regions.īenefits from standard-setting include fully understood communications between pilots and controllers, despite distracting non-standard words and phrases. The article focuses on relevant International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards and recommended practices and the European Union’s ELP adoption decisions. In many cases, specific language proficiency is required to comply with licence qualifications. Other applicants were found to be unsuitable for employment following psycho-technical evaluation but were approved for training after their records were changed to show that they were in fact suitable to work as air traffic controllers.This article outlines standards and recommended practices, as of early 2021, for aircraft pilots and air traffic controllers to attain one of three recognised levels of English language proficiency (ELP).
Seneam’s internal control body said the training center didn’t provide any documentation showing that the entry of the over-age applicants was authorized by “hierarchical superiors.” Twitter other applicants completed training and were hired despite exceeding the maximum permitted age for new air traffic controllers, which was 30. Air traffic controllers must pass psychophysical evaluations, English tests and meet certain age requirements. Six applicants were said to have passed English tests when in fact they hadn’t, the audit found.
Knowledge of English is essential for communication with foreign pilots and to understand aviation manuals. The Seneam audit found that people employed as air traffic controllers failed a range of tests including psychophysical and English language tests.