The Latin American and Caribbean Association of Airport Pavements (ALACPA) was born at the initiative of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on Thursday, July 25, 2002. During a seminar on airport pavements and a quick course on Aircraft/Pavement Interaction, Aerodromes, and Ground Aids held in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, a group of participants decided to accept the challenge proposed by Dr. Samuel Cardoso, AGA Officer of the ICAO Regional Office in Lima. They aimed to form a non-profit Technical Association of Airport Pavements that would bring together the regions of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Subsequently, in October 2003, during the Third Meeting of the Aerodromes and Visual Aids/Subgroup Operational Planning of Aerodromes (AGA/AOP/SG/3), part of the Regional Study Group on Planning and Execution for the Caribbean and South America (GREPECAS) of ICAO, the first draft of ALACPA’s Statutes and the Terms of the competition to choose its logo were approved.
A month later, between November 19 and 25, the first authorities of ALACPA were elected, and the logo that would be its representative image was chosen.
Words at the opening of the XIV ALACPA Seminar 2018 by the President CD 2015/2017-18 Gustavo Fernández Favaron
This historic event took place during the development of the ICAO-ACI/LAC Seminar on Pavement Management Systems (PMS) and a Quick Course on the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) method held in Lima, Peru.
During the Fourth Meeting of the Aerodromes and Visual Aids/Subgroup Operational Planning (AGA/AOP/SG/4) of GREPECAS in Mexico City, Mexico, between November 15 and 18, 2004, a Study Note was presented with the Checklist and Inspection Guide for Aerodrome Inspectors based on Annex 14. This was later approved and disseminated to the States in the CAR/SAM Regions.
During the AGA/AOP/SG Subgroup meeting, the incorporation of ALACPA as an “Observer Member” before the mentioned Subgroup of GREPECAS was requested, leading to an agreement.
Since 2003, ALACPA has successfully organized its annual seminars with significant collaboration from ICAO, FAA, ACI-LAC, Boeing, hosts, sponsors, and members. These seminars have been held in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and the USA.
Today, we reflect on those times when this idea was conceived by Dr. Samuel Cardoso, thanking him for his continuous involvement as a collaborator of ALACPA, benefiting the quality of airport pavements.
Biography “José María Martínez Cal”
Profile of Engineer José María Martínez Cal, may he rest in peace. After completing his secondary education at the Naval Lyceum, which he held dearly, he pursu
