It has been five years since SITA first sought to sponsor the application for the new Top Level Domain Name (TLD) .aero, reserved exclusively for members and governed by the aviation community. Now it's time for renewal.

The aviation community operates through and relies on shared infrastructure, procedures and standards. Through the .aero domain, these benefits continue to be available for communications over the Internet.

As the established industry focal point for technology and communications, and as the sponsor of .aero, SITA has been working with the Dot Aero Council (DAC) to develop infrastructure, conventions and policies in the .aero domain. For example, the identification and development of naming structures is ensuring travellers and industry professionals have access to a fast and simple means of accessing information related to air transport. Short and predictable domain names, based on recognized industry naming conventions, as well as deployment of ".aero shortcuts", are designed to streamline industry communications.

Worldwide support

SITA's original .aero proposal to ICANN received strong support from the worldwide aviation community, demonstrating confidence that SITA would serve the interests of air transport as a whole in a neutral and balanced manner. That confidence has been repaid across the whole range of domain policies and innovations. For example:

• airport and airline codes have been pre-registered for designated code holders and provide a shortcut for passengers and industry professionals as a means of locating existing websites
• thanks to strict eligibility verification processes, there has been little evidence of cybersquatting or name speculation
• the new online directory has been introduced as a non-commercial free service.

The sponsorship agreement with the Internet's regulating body ICANN now requires SITA to formally express its intention to renew.

SITA believes that its continued sponsorship would be in the best interest of the Sponsored TLD Community and the global Internet community, and intends to submit its application to ICANN later this year. We hope the community that we serve will continue to support us, and will actively endorse this application. Further information will be posted on the www.information.aero website.