Action on climate change

A global cross-industry initiative that is supported and financed by the commercial aviation industry has chosen .aero as a key part of its branding.

Enviro.aero has been established by the commercial aviation industry body, the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) to provide clear information on industry measures being undertaken to limit the impact of aviation on the environment.

December 1st - Deadline for airports to register IATA codes on .aero

GENEVA - 4 November 2008 - SITA today issued a reminder that December 1, 2008 is the cut-off date for airports wishing to register their three letter IATA airport codes with .aero, the SITA-sponsored internet domain for the air transport industry.

From December 1, these unique IATA location identifiers will no longer be reserved exclusively for airports but will be available for registration to any qualifying organization or individual, on a first-come-first-served basis and through accredited registrars.

Meet the registrars - Regtime

Regtime Ltd was the first Russian ICANN-accredited registrar to offer a full service of cyrillic domains to Russian companies and individuals. Russian is the native or second language for more than 230 million people, so the decision to launch cyrillic language domains in 2001 was an important stage in the ability of Russian-speakers to access the Internet and the World Wide Web. Regtime continues to play a key role in the development of the Internet in Russia, including its work with the Cyrillic Languages Internet Names Consortium (CLINC).

Meet the registrars: 101domain.com

101Domain.com handles more than 850 international domain name extensions alongside domain registration. It is an authorized registrar for the .aero domain. The company also employs domain management tools such as Domain Name System (DNS) record management and domain hosting.

Through 101Domain Worldwide Domain Manager, the company offers a secure web-based portal that consolidates domain names into a single company portfolio available anytime, anywhere.

Oshkosh is the place to be

From 28 July to 3 August, the town of Oshkosh, in the US state of Wisconsin, becomes the place of choice for up to 750,000 people with one interest in mind - a passion for flying. Some 10,000 aircraft will be flown into EAA AirVenture by enthusiasts from around the world. This is the annual convention of the Experimental Aircraft Association - known universally as EAA - a body formed in 1953 as a local club for those who restored and built their own aircraft.

Passion for flying

Two .aero external service providers were present at the 2008 Oshkosh Air Venture convention inWisconsin, US, at the beginning of August.

Registry operator Afilias and .aero registrar Names Beyond welcomed visitors from all sections of the aviation community - from airport authorities to professional aviators. Their presence was part of a broader strategy to raise awareness of the .aero domain with business aircraft operators, pilots and aviation professionals - as well as air sports participants.

Registry does not support "front running"

Concerns have been raised in recent months over a new phenomenon known as "domain name front running".

This occurs when someone conducts a search for a domain name and, shortly thereafter, someone else (a "front runner"), using information obtained during the search, pre-emptively registers the name. This action prevents domain names from being registered by those who were originally interested.

Reporting progress in the development of a truly global information society

Back in 2005, the UN'sWorld Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) produced fine documents and promises of action to come. So what progress has been made in some of the most significant areas of concern for the evolution and availability of information and communication technologies (ICT)?

Governments and stakeholders have addressed significant issues, including:

• building infrastructure to enhance connectivity

• fostering access to information services

Spreading the message

At the annual convention of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in Oshkosh, Wisconsin (see review on page five) SITA and its partners used the opportunity to highlight the availability of three-letter airport codes in the .aero domain.

Representatives from Afilias, registry operator of the .aero domain, and Namesbeyond, a .aero authorized registrar, generated the interest of a wide variety of members of the air transport industry - from private pilots to aerospace supply companies.

Spreading the message

NamesBeyond – the US-based ICANN–accredited .aero registrar – has been successfully using the media to spread the message that airlines only have until 30 November this year to register their pre-reserved IATA-location identifiers within the .aero domain.

After 1 December, those airport codes will be available for registration to any qualifying organization or individual, on a first-come-first-served basis and through accredited registrars.