Shortly before Christmas ICAO announced from its HQ in Montreal that some 3.2 billion passengers used air transport for their business and tourism needs in 2014. This was according to preliminary figures on scheduled services released on 18 December by the Organization. The annual total passengers figure was up approximately 5% compared to 2013 and is expected to reach over 6.4 billion by 2030, based on current projections.

World scheduled freight traffic, measured in freight tonne-kilometres (FTKs), grew strongly by 4.6% in 2014, a rebound from the 0.4% growth rate registered in 2013. This is a reflection of improvement in world trade.

The International Civil Aviation Organization will be holding the Second High Level Safety Conference (HLSC2015) from 2 to 5 February 2015 at ICAO Headquarters in Montreal, Canada.

In particular, the Conference will also be invited to discuss emerging safety issues, including the global tracking of aircraft and risks to civil aviation arising from conflict zones.