The FAA is working with its counterparts in the Caribbean on a multi-pronged initiative to increase safety and efficiency in the region. FAA Administrator Michael Huerta last week outlined the initiative, noting that air traffic there is expected to grow faster than in any other region in the world, except the Middle East.

“The Caribbean is of critical importance to the U.S.,” Huerta said. “By working together, we are building a foundation of increased cooperation that will allow us to enhance safety and efficiency throughout a region that serves as a destination for so many travelers.”

The initiative includes collaboration to improve airport safety, increase certification in the area, improve air traffic flow management through collaborative decision-making and support the implementation of International Civil Aviation Organization standards throughout the Caribbean. In addition, the FAA has already hosted airport certification workshops in Kingston, Jamaica, and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and is offering a general aviation seminar in Cuba.

It also is conducting an airspace study of the region and a review of area navigation routes. Further, the FAA is working to share best practices, including collaborative decision-making tools, and has partnered with Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago in bilateral exchanges of traffic-flow data.

Also, the FAA is hoping to help implement System Wide Information Management Services (SWIM), the NextGen technology that will provide improved access to real-time flight-data, weather information, airport operations and special-use airspace status.