ICAO, IATA Demand Limit On Anti-Aircraft Weaponry

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have planned to create a global convention to limit the weapons with anti-aircraft capabilities.

IATA is a trade association uniting over 260 airlines while the ICAO is a UN body.

The move to control the design, manufacture, sale, and deployment of weapons with anti-aircraft capability is happening amid last year's downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine, various media reported today.

IATA head Tony Tyler said Friday "Civilian airliners… bring people together. In doing so, aviation fosters greater understanding and tolerance around the globe.”

“The victims of MH17 were participants in that amazing spirit of adventure and exchange. We owe it to them, and to every person who boards a plane, that civilian airliners will never again be brought down by weapons of war," Tony Tyler added.

The IATA director general added that his organization supports the international investigation which is continuing to search for the "complete truth" about the tragedy.