Good morning, and thank you, General Rosende, for that kind introduction.

Let me begin this morning by thanking ICAO and the Directors General of the South American Region for inviting me to address the Ninth Meeting of Civil Aviation Authorities of the South American Region. It’s an honor to be here with so many colleagues. I am also pleased to see many familiar faces from our meeting in Washington last February.

You know, flying into Santiago’s International Airport early Saturday, I was reminded of my last flight here about a year ago … almost to the day. It was a very memorable flight for me. It wasn’t one of those glorious, sunny days that attract so many to Santiago. In fact, it was a bit overcast. And it wasn’t the spectacular view of the snow-capped Andes that you often see during the approach. What made it so memorable was that it was the first flight demonstration in this region using Required Navigation Performance. “RNP.”

As we all know, the benefits of RNP and RNAV extend to all stakeholders. Pilots can touchdown on runways with more precision than ever before, both laterally and vertically… And their flight paths will be standard and predictable. Controllers can sustain traffic levels in deteriorating weather conditions better than before because planes can fly in bad weather and over rough terrain… The use of our airspace will be smoother and more efficient in all conditions. And passengers, our most important customers, will be safer and experience fewer delays. And best of all – RNP takes advantage of equipment already on the aircraft… In addition, RNP saves millions of dollars for airlines because of improved routes.

Last year’s RNP flight was especially memorable to me, not only because I was able to participate in that flight, but because of the progress that is made through partnership and collaboration. There were those who thought Santiago wasn’t ready for RNP procedures. Fortunately, there were people who thought differently … at American Airlines, the Chilean DGAC, the International Air Transport Association and the FAA. We knew we could do it if we worked together … and we did.

General, it’s good to see several people here today who were with us on the demonstration flight last year. American’s Triple-7 actually flew several RNP approaches that day. We observed the approaches from monitors in the cabin. The flight crew allowed the aircraft to use the information programmed into the autopilot. RNP safely and accurately took the plane right to the runway, touching down directly on the centerline. It was a beautiful thing to watch … and it was made possible through our partnerships.

There are many reasons for moving forward together on safety initiatives. One of the most compelling is the growing level of aviation traffic in our hemisphere. In 2004, more than 28 million passengers flew between Latin America and the United States. That’s three times the 9 point 5 million passengers recorded 20 years ago.

The traveling public is looking to us to find ways to improve safety so the level of passenger traffic and trade continues to flourish. We’ll never meet this challenge by looking for answers within our own individual airspaces or by developing a wide range of incompatible technologies. As Dr. Kotait said, we must adopt a global mentality and we must particularly address the needs of our hemisphere.

So where should we look for the answers? We believe that satellite-based navigation holds many of the answers for the future, not just for the U.S. National Airspace System, but worldwide. Always keep in mind that the key word in Global Navigation Satellite System is “Global.” GNSS can only reach its full potential for improving the safety and efficiency of our air transportation system if it is truly a global system.

The FAA has based its future navigation architecture on GPS and associated augmentation systems. GPS has been providing safety benefits to many different levels of users worldwide for years. I am confident that GPS will continue to offer the best technology for achieving the level of safety and efficiency that our traveling public expects.

On December 8, 2004, President Bush issued a new national policy regarding GPS. The policy statement renewed the U.S. government’s commitment to sustaining an advanced and robust GPS system for all users. In addition, the President reiterated the U.S. government’s commitment to continue to provide these services worldwide free of direct user fees for civil, commercial and scientific uses.

Our commitment to move forward collectively with satellite-based navigation is vital to our future success in implementing RNP and RNAV. If we work collectively, we can greatly expand the use of these procedures throughout our hemisphere and worldwide.

We are working with our partners in Canada and Mexico through the North American Aviation Trilateral – known as the NAAT – to adopt harmonized standards for RNP and RNAV implementation. I am convinced that the work we are undertaking in this area, along with our North American Wide Area Augmentation System, will lead to a safer and more seamless operating environment.

But what about the 28 million passengers flying between Latin America and the United States? We need to promote a seamless operating environment for the entire hemisphere. That’s why our cooperative projects in GPS and RNP/RNAV are so important. We want to ensure the solutions we adopt today are solutions that work for everyone. I can tell you that we’ve learned a tremendous amount through our cooperative activities in GREPECAS. Our shared vision for the seamless operating environment of tomorrow is clearly within our reach today, but we must stay committed to partnerships to make it happen.

ICAO will play a major role in regional progress on RNP and RNAV. We’re looking forward to hearing member states discuss their ideas for moving forward collectively with RNP/RNAV implementation at the next GREPECAS meeting here in Santiago in November. You know, GREPECAS has a proven track record for harmonizing procedures throughout the region, including its recent success with the implementation of Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum procedures.

Separately, we must also concentrate more on long-term planning. As we all agree, aviation is a very dynamic market. Technologies and demand are changing more rapidly than at any time in our history. At the FAA, we are expanding our planning horizons beyond meeting capacity demands for the coming summer months, or even for the next two or three years. We have developed a national plan for the next generation aviation system. This plan brings together the combined resources and skills of five major U.S. government organizations, both civilian and military. That’s an unusual step for us. We’re excited that we’ll be pulling together in the same direction. But we’re particularly excited about the vision. The next generation aviation system extends our planning horizon out to the year 2025. We’re not relying on the efforts of government agencies alone. This new plan brings together broad public-private and international partnerships to develop its vision for the future.

The new national plan does not try to find answers through a crystal ball. It uses real aviation trends and real technologies to identify real solutions. The plan covers the full breadth of aviation. Not just air traffic control, but research and development, the environment, airports. And you need to know that our goal is to extend the plan. You’ll hear even more in the future as we reach out to other countries and organizations for your thoughts and ideas on how we can make our world a safer place to fly.

Speaking of looking toward the future, I would like to underscore that our future is not all about technologies, regulations and procedures… it’s about people, too. We must never lose sight of the importance of strong leadership. No one knows this better than our good friend and colleague and world leader, Dr. Assad Kotaite. As you know, Dr. Kotaite recently announced his decision to retire as President of the ICAO Council in 2006. He has dedicated his career to improving aviation, and the global community owes him a debt of gratitude for everything he’s accomplished at ICAO.

We face a great challenge as we prepare to support Dr. Kotaite over the next year on a smooth transition in the leadership at ICAO. At the same time, with challenge comes opportunity. I consider this transition period an opportune time to explore options for reform. I can assure you that I am personally committed to working with Latin America on the transition in leadership and in considering options for future ICAO reform.

In closing, I would like to spend a few moments on the topic of resources. You and I have many, many ideas when it comes to the technologies, standards and procedures needed to make our systems safe, but where will countries find the resources? It’s often our greatest challenge. This is particularly true as countries are developing and seeking to improve their infrastructures and to bring their aviation systems into compliance with international standards.

I think we face a significant challenge in that the world’s multilateral development banks are not directing a fair share of funding toward aviation infrastructure development. They don’t recognize the true value of aviation to economic development. The World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and others invest billions to help countries bolster manufacturing, fishing and agricultural industries. Today, these banks need to concentrate more on helping countries get their products and resources delivered to foreign markets. Countries cannot thrive in today’s competitive global environment without a safe and efficient aviation system.

I would like to ask for your help in working with your individual governments to encourage these banks to invest in aviation. The FAA will continue to promote greater investments in aviation infrastructure, but we need your support.

Later this year, I would like to organize a seminar for the major development banks based in Washington to underscore the importance of aviation as a catalyst for economic growth. I am confident that the FAA can make a strong case for greater investments in aviation… but I am certain that our message will be loud and clear if we work collectively. For that reason, I may be asking some of you to join me for the seminar so the banks can see that we are unified and determined to bring more resources to aviation. I will follow up with more details within the next few weeks after we schedule a date for the seminar.

I began my talk this morning by mentioning partnership and collaboration. It’s true for technology … it’s true for resources … and it’s especially true if we’re to create a seamless aviation system that will serve our hemisphere and across the globe. I look forward to working with you to make that happen. Thank you.