Us

Historical Overview

The first attempts to configure an organization that coordinates the Aeronautical Authorities of Latin America date back to the end of the 50s. After a long process of studies and deliberations, it was on 1973, during the Second Conference of Aeronautical Authorities of Latin America, that the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission was established for the purpose of collaborating fully in the solution of civil aviation problems.

The Provisional Secretariat headed by Colombia, with the support of the Regional Offices of the International Civil Aviation Organization from Peru (SAM) and Mexico(NACC) gathered the experience from previous years and elaborated a proposal that was distributed in the region.

Hence, in the Conference of Aeronautical Authorities of Latin America held between the 11th and the 14th of December of 1973 in Mexico, the proposal was analized and the Latin American Commission of Civil Aviation’s draft constitution was approved.

The first Commission Assembly was held in the city of Buenos Aires in August 1974. Till that date, 16 States had subscribed to LACAC’s statute, thus it became one of the international organizations for civil aviation with prime relevance in Latin America.

Only the States located in South America, Central America including Panama and Mexico and the States of the Caribbean, geographical area which for the purpose of this instrument is called Latin America, may become members of the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission.

Mexico is the depository country of the Multilateral Treaty of LACAC’s Statute, and since the establishment of the organization, new members have been incorporating it. Currently, the Commission is composed by 22 States: Argentina, Aruba, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

LACAC closely coordinates their work with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) with the purpose of avoiding overlapping. In 1978, both organizations subscribed to a Modus Vivendi Agreement which established the foundations for mutual colaboration. In accordance with this agreement, the Secretariat services that LACAC may require were provided by ICAO. The previous situation changed after ICAO requested the regional organizations to asume full responsability for their own financial matters. Therefore, in December 2005, a new Mutual Cooperation Agreement was singed between both organizations, where they established the current foundations of the colaboration relationship.

In 2004, there was a tendering process to choose the headquarters for the Commission’s Secretariat. Headquarters proposals were sent by Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Venezuela. The tendering process finalized in 2005 with the election of Lima, Peru as the headquarters for LACAC’s Secretariat.

In 2006, the Secretariat Headquarters Agreement for the Latin American Commission of Civil Aviation (LACAC) and the Government of Peru was signed, which denotes that the Commission and its principal and subsidiary bodies are granted independence and freedom of action as the other international organizations and diplomatic missions accredited in Peru.

Starting in 2007, LACAC started its management and financial autonomy phase.

The financial matters are set under the Regional Project for Technical Cooperation scheme managed by the ICAO Technical Cooperation Bureau, an organization that is also in charge of the audit of the Project.

The Comission’s autonomy is portrayed in a strategic plan that is organized around macrotasks lead by the States focal points that conform LACAC’s Executive Committee, in addition to the State Presidency of the Executive Committee from the immediate previous period.

Depository State

The United Mexican States is the depositary State of the Multilateral Agreement that contemplates the establishment of the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission (December 14, 1973).

The Registration number for the Multilateral Treaty that establishes LACAC as an organization is 20170 and the volume number is 1241 of the United Nations (July 22, 1981).

Vision, Mission and Values

Vision

Be the reference for the efficient, sustainable, secure, organized, and harmonized development of regional and global air transport.

Mission

Promote the integration, cooperation, and coordination between the Latin American States in matters of air transport, air policy, airport management, capacity building, environment, facilitation, and aviation safety and security.

Institutional Values

• Equality: LACAC’s member States are sovereign and have the same rights and obligations.
• Integration: LACAC’s members internalize the importance and transcendence of an integrated region through harmonized processes and regulations in the sector of international air transport.
• Responsability: Effectively and efficiently executing tasks set in different institutional bodies.
• Ethics and transparency: Within the development of all the duties, acting with ethical principles and accountability attached to the best practices and global standards in the matter.
• Tolerance and understanding: Tolerance and understanding are essential values for LACAC’s members, who should respect the internal policies of each State, pursuing the regional consensus in their decisions.
• Commitment: High degree of identification and fulfillment of obligations obtained from the member States and LACAC’s personnel.
• No discrimination: The member States representatives and LACAC’s officials should not make any arbitrary distinction due to any of the following motives: ethnic, religious, language, gender, opinion, culture, and sexual orientation.

Secretariat Organigram

Work Scheme

Download here (Updated December 2022).

Office Hours / Location / Holidays

Office hours:

Mondays to friday 8:00 – 14:30 hrs.

Location:

Av. Víctor Andrés Belaúnde 147, Building Real Cuatro – 3° floor, San Isidro, Lima, Perú
Section 27032, Lima, PERÚ / (+51) 14226905, (+51) 14229367

Observers