FAREWELL RASOS, WELCOME CASSOS
(July-25-08)

RASOS is now in the process of being transformed into CASSOS, the Caribbean Aviation Safety and Security Oversight System.  At the last intersessional meeting of the Heads of State of CARICOM States in Antigua and Barbuda in early July 2008 sufficient States signed the CASSOS Agreement to bring it into force. Once States have signed they then designate their representatives to the CASSOS Board of Directors. When the Directors are named a first Board Meeting will be convened at which a Chairman and Vice Chairman will be elected and the new business of implementing the CASSOS mandate will commence.

CASSOS will be similar to RASOS in many ways, not the least of which will be the high degree of technical cooperation and resource sharing among its members.  RASOS also enjoyed and benefited from the continuing strong ties to other aviation safety oversight partners such as ICAO, FAA, Transport Canada, and other civil aviation authorities within the region.  All of these organizations, as well as CARICOM Secretariat  have  been strong mentors, supporters and allies in all of our efforts to upgrade aviation safety oversight capability and performance in the CARICOM through the RASOS project and we know they will all continue to work with us as partners for CASSOS as we forge this new and stronger regional organization. 

CASSOS will have much wider goals and a stronger platform as a full fledged institution of CARICOM. The original RASOS mandate covered three ICAO Annexes: CASSOS will undertake to guide the harmonization of oversight activities for all eighteen ICAO Annexes, a much wider scope that offers many new challenges and opportunities. CASSOS would not exist today if it were not for the dedication and ongoing efforts of a group of committed and visionary managers from all of the Member CAAs that made up RASOS, not the least of which were the long serving Chairman and Board Members. RASOS has been recognized for the technical excellence of those who carried out the work of the numerous standing committees and working groups, as well as those who went the extra mile in helping their colleagues, our trans national inspectorate.  Behind all of these were the host CAA support organizations that kept RASOS housed and properly administered. To all of those, thanks for a job well done is due, and, with this team still serving,  we know that we will make CASSOS a world class regional safety and security oversight organization.