The ICNS Conference is a not-for-profit event. Conference revenues (sponsorships and registration fees) cover conference costs (including rooms, audio-visual equipment rental, technical support, printed material and CD with proceedings, and offered food). The conference success criteria is to generate a small surplus used primarily to support AIAA scholarships.

The Integrated Communications Navigation and Surveillance (ICNS) Conference is the premier international aviation conference addressing technology and policy advances in CNS research, development and implementation programs, and policies related to CNS/ATM capabilities and applications. The ICNS Conference assembles leaders from government, industry, and academia, as well as senior technical experts to address important policy issues and contribute to the future directions of CNS and ATM.

The Integrated Communications Navigation and Surveillance (ICNS) Conference addresses long-term research and development as well as current implementation of integrated CNS technologies needed to enable programs that include but are not limited to NextGen and SESAR.

The conference is focused on providing an understanding of domestic and international CNS/ATM programs, implementation strategies, standards development, research, and ICNS technologies. As we continue the second decade of ICNS, we focus on the relationship between next generation air traffic management and the enabling communications, navigation and surveillance infrastructure that will build the bridge between CNS and ATM.

2007 marked the first year under the new sponsorship of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). From 2001 to 2006, the conference was hosted by the Space Communications Program at NASA Glenn Research Center.