ABSTRACT
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN). Prior to the introduction of the language proficiency requirements (LPR), proficiency in English was recommended as opposed to required according to ICAO standards. In response to results of analyses of data gleaned from accident report databases such as the ICAO Accident/Incident Data Reporting System, the US National Transportation and Safety Board reports, and the United Kingdom's Mandatory Occurrence Reporting Scheme, in 2003 ICAO introduced worldwide LPRs for aviation personnel. The ICAO rating scales are a set of six analytic scales based on what are considered to be six constructs of language proficiency. The six constructs are: pronunciation, structure, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension and interactions. The implementation of the ICAO LPRs has posed challenges for regulators such as the civil aviation authorities of the ICAO member states.
