INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION A United Nations Specialized Agency	Keyword Search
	THE POSTAL HISTORY OF ICAO By ALBERT PELSSER - Last updated on 5 April 2025
The Postal History of ICAO provides the history of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) based on the philatelic material, i.e., stamps and covers related to ICAO and the preceding Organizations and Conferences. An extensive list of the postal issues relating to ICAO is provided in the last chapters. To get in touch, send an e-mail.
	Introduction What’s New?
PREAMBLE - PRÉAMBULE
	1910-1947: The origins of ICAO - Aux origines de l’OACI ICAO and Aviation: A Philatelic History - L’aviation et l’OACI à travers les timbres Montréal: World Capital of Civil Aviation International Days Related to Civil Aviation L'OACI: Une institution spécialisée des Nations Unies à Montréal Les grandes étapes de la réglementation de la navigation aérienne
PART 1: ICAO’S HISTORY
The Paris Convention of 1910
	The Path to Internationalism
International Commission for Air Navigation (ICAN)
	The 1919 Paris Convention: The Starting Point for the Regulation of Air Navigation Albert Roper: Architect of the 1919 Paris Convention ICAN's Global Prospects Reduced to Regionalism International Aviation Organizations Working Alongside ICAN and Dealing Exclusively with Aeronautical Matters International Aviation Organizations Working Alongside ICAN and Dealing Secondarily with Aeronautical Matters The Air Post Conferences
International Meetings during ICAN
	1926: The Ibero-American Convention 1927: Airline Companies Officially Recognized as Airmail Carriers 1928: The Havana Convention 1928: The International Civil Aeronautics Conference 1937: The Inter-American Technical Conference on Aviation International Legal Instruments before 1944
The Birth of ICAO
	1944: The Chicago Conference
Provisional International Civil Aviation Organization (PICAO)
	1945: The Canadian Preparatory Committee and PICAO into Action 1945-1946: PICAO - The Spirit of Internationalism 1946: Montréal Confirmed as Capital of International Civil Aviation 1946: PICAO's First Regional Air Navigation Meetings The Interim Assembly of PICAO The Site of the Interim Organization From PICAO to ICAO: Organizational Similarities
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
	The Growth of ICAO International Standards and Recommended Practices Annex 1 - Personnel Licensing Annex 2 - Rules of the Air Annex 3 - Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation Annex 4 - Aeronautical Charts Annex 5 - Units of Measurement to be Used in Air and Ground Operations Annex 6 - Operation of Aircraft Annex 7 - Aircraft Nationality and Registration Marks Annex 8 - Airworthiness of Aircraft Annex 9 - Facilitation Annex 10 - Aeronautical Telecommunications Annex 11 - Air Traffic Services Annex 12 - Search and Rescue Annex 13 - Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation Annex 14 - Aerodromes Annex 15 - Aeronautical Information Services Annex 16 - Environmental Protection Annex 17 - Security Annex 18 - The Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air Annex 19 - Safety Management The Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme The North Atlantic Ocean Stations Agreement The Technical Co-operation Programme - Projects The No Country Left Behind (NCLB) Initiative
ICAO Structure
	The ICAO Assembly The ICAO Council The ICAO Secretariat The President of the Council The Secretary General The Contracting States The Regional Offices and the Regional Organization The Air Navigation Commission (ANC) The Air Transport Committee (ATC) The Technical Co-operation Programme
ICAO Legal Services
	The Chicago Convention The First Years of the Legal Committee The Warsaw System on Air Carriers Liability The Rome Convention and its Modernization Legal Instruments related to Aviation Security Other International Legal Instruments Civil Aviation Legal Advisors Forum
Regional Air Navigation (RAN) Meetings
	1946: Cairo RAN Meeting 1946: Paris RAN Meeting 1947: Melbourne RAN Meeting 1948: New Delhi RAN Meeting 1950: Istanbul RAN Meeting 1951: Buenos Aires RAN Meeting 1953: Melbourne RAN Meeting 1953: Santa Cruz de Tenerife RAN Meeting 1954: Rhodes Special Middle East Communications Meeting 1955: Manila RAN Meeting 1956: Ciudad Trujillo RAN Meeting 1957: São Paulo RAN Meeting 1958-1985: Miscellaneous RAN Meetings
ICAO Attributes
	The Edward Warner Award The Laurel Award The International Civil Aviation Day The ICAO Flag The PICAO Bulletin, and ICAO Bulletin and Journal The ICAO Museum
Relations with UN Organizations
	ICAO and the United Nations Admission to the United Nations ICAO and the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) ICAO and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ICAO and the International Labour Organization (ILO) ICAO and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) ICAO and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) ICAO and the Universal Postal Union (UPU) ICAO and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) ICAO and the World Customs Organization (WCO) ICAO and the World Food Programme (WFP) ICAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) ICAO and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) ICAO and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
Partners in International Civil Aviation
	Introduction to the Partners in Civil Aviation ACI - Airports International Council ASECNA - Agence pour la sécurité de la navigation aérienne en Afrique et à Madagascar CANSO - Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation Civil Aviation Commissions COCESNA - Corporación Centroamericana de Servicios de Navegación Aérea EASA - European Union Aviation Safety Agency ECAC - European Civil Aviation Conference EUROCONTROL FAI - Fédération Aéronautique Internationale FSF - Flight Safety Foundation IAOPA - International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations IATA - International Air Transport Association IBAC - International Business Aviation Council ICCAIA - International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Associations IFALPA - International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations IFAR - International Forum for Aviation Research IFATCA - International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations ITF - International Transport Forum ITF - International Transport Workers’ Federation RAeS - The Royal Aeronautical Society SITA - Société Internationale de Télécommunications Aéronautiques TIACA - The International Air Cargo Association
Assembly Sessions
	The First Assembly Sessions Sessions of the Assembly (from 9th to 15th) Sessions of the Assembly (from 16th to 29th) Sessions of the Assembly (from 30th to 40th) Sessions of the Assembly (from 41st to latest)
Large Conferences or Meetings
	The Air Navigation Conferences The Air Transport Conferences Conferences on the Economics of Airports and Air Navigation Services
Accommodation
	The Permanent Site of the Organization The First Permanent Accommodation (1949) The Second Permanent Accommodation (1975) The Third Permanent Accommodation (1996)
Emblems
	ICAO Emblem Closely Linked to its Working Languages The Early Emblems The First Official Emblem The Second Official Emblem The Third and Current Official Emblem Extensions of ICAO Emblem International Language Days
Aviation History
	Introduction The Desire to Fly in the Mythology The Early Endeavours Human Flights with Balloons The Scientific Visionaries or those Men before the Wrights The First Flight in the British Empire Achieving the Dream Early Developments in Europe The First Practical Aircraft Attracted by Water The Conquest of the Channel The First Over the Atlantic Women in Aviation Flying First Over the Alps The Catapult Mail Aerial Circumnavigation: Records
PART 2: ICAO STAMP COLLECTING
Stamp Issues Related to ICAO
	Introduction (with full list of issues sorted by country name) The language of stamp and cover collecting Issues before 1945 (Predecessors) Issues from 1945 to 1977 Issues from 1978 to 1983 Issues from 1984 to 1985 - 40th Anniversary of ICAO Issues from 1986 to 1993 Issues from 1994 to 1995 - 50th Anniversary of ICAO Issues from 1996 to 2013 Issues released in 2014 - 70th anniversary of ICAO Issues from 2015 to 2018 Issues released in 2019 - 75th Anniversary of ICAO Issues released after the 75th Anniversary of ICAO
ICAO Anniversaries
	Introduction The 10th Anniversary Commemorated by the United Nations The 10th Anniversary Commemorated by Canada The 15th Anniversary The 20th Anniversary The 30th Anniversary The 30th Anniversary of ICAO and the Confusion with the 75th Anniversary of the First Powered Flight The 35th Anniversary The 40th Anniversary The 45th Anniversary The 50th Anniversary The 60th Anniversary The 65th Anniversary The 70th Anniversary The 75th Anniversary The 80th Anniversary
The Commemorative Covers
	Introduction
Small Collectibles Beside Philately
	Introduction
Exhibitions
	International World’s Fair, Brussels - 1958 International Exhibition of Air Mail Postage - 1969 Exhibition Commemorating of the 75th Anniversary of First Powered Flight - 1978 Canadian Philatelic Exhibition - CAPEX 78 Philatelic Exhibition on Aviation - 1994 Miscellaneous Philatelic Exhibitions
Errors in the ICAO Philatelic Collection
	Introduction Errors in the Name of the Organization Errors in the Acronym of the Organization Errors in the Emblem of the Organization Other Flaws in the Emblems Errors in the Texts Errors in the Philatelic Notices Errors in the Manufacturing Process Errors in the Dates Improper Issues
Philatelic Articles
	ICAO Bulletin - June 1980 ICAO Bulletin - November 1984 Philatélie Québec - March 1992 ICAO Bulletin - December 1995 Cahier de l’Académie québécoise d’études philatéliques - 2011 The Canadian Connection ICAO Tie-Ins Uniting Aviation The Journal of the United Nations Philatelists CAFICS - Philatelic Quizzes