By Mohammed Attia
The Egyptian delegation, headed by Minister of Civil Aviation Mohamed Abbas, continues its participation in the 41st General Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which will continue its work until October 7, in Montreal, Canada, with the participation of 193 member states of the organization as well as many regional and international organizations.
Minister Abbas met on the sidelines of the association’s activities, Qatari Minister of Transport Jassim bin Saif Al-Sulaiti and the two sides discussed the most important issues related to strengthening joint cooperation in the field of civil aviation and pushing forward towards broader horizons of bilateral cooperation, as well as at the Arab and international levels.
Abbas affirmed the keenness of the Ministry of Civil Aviation to enhance bilateral cooperation, permanent coordination and unification of visions with its Arab brothers in all international forums to serve the Arab and international air transport industry, praising the bilateral relations between Egypt and Qatar in the field of aviation in a way that enhances joint cooperation in order to activate air and tourism traffic between them.
This comes in light of the development boom that the Egyptian state is witnessing in its various sectors, especially the implementation of several projects and the establishment of new airports in the civil aviation sector.
The minister also met with the Director General of the International Airports Council, and they discussed the technical aspects related to airports and how to support development.
During the activities of the General Assembly, the Egyptian delegation had submitted a request to re-candidate for membership in the organization’s council for the “second category” for the next three years, during the elections that will take place within the work of the ICAO General Assembly.
Egypt, which has been a member of the International Aviation Organization Council since its inception, has many supporting elements that qualify it to win again a seat in the organization’s council in the “second category”, as it enjoys the support and nomination of the Arab and African groups in the international organization and enjoys close relations with all ICAO member states as well as its commitment to permanent application of all legislation and regulations issued by regional and international aviation organizations.
According to the ICAO statute, the member states of the organization choose only 36 countries to form the Council, which is responsible for managing the affairs of the organization, divided into three categories, each category consisting of 12 countries, and the “first category” represents the countries that manufacture aircraft and aviation technology.
The “second category”, in which Egypt submitted its candidacy, represents countries that have a major role in providing facilities in the field of civil aviation and air navigation. As for the “third category”, the seats are distributed according to geographical areas.
During the work of the General Assembly, Egypt will present, in coordination with the Arab Civil Aviation Organization and the African Aviation Organization about 36 joint working papers on the audit and facilitation program, the global safety plan, air navigation, ground handling, the environment, climate change, cybersecurity and the effects of the fifth generation networks on aviation.
The Egyptian delegation will also participate in the meetings of the technical and executive committees to discuss issues related to aviation safety and security, as well as participate in the coordination meeting of the African group to unify visions and positions towards various technical issues raised during the work of the General Assembly.
Egypt submitted 36 papers in cooperation with the Arab Organization and the African Organization. Among the most important topics are the CMA audit program, the global safety plan, the global navigation line, handling, ground handling, environment, security, cybersecurity, and the effects of 5G networks on aviation.
The Egyptian delegation will also participate in the meetings of the Technical and Executive Committee where topics related to safety and air navigation (such as the global safety plan, the global navigation plan and cybersecurity) will be discussed.
On the other hand, the minister is scheduled to deliver Egypt’s speech before the ICAO General Assembly, during which he will review Egypt’s vision towards various issues and challenges facing the aviation industry and its role in supporting ICAO’s efforts and permanent coordination for the global air transport service.
Egypt’s participation comes within the framework of ensuring an effective presence in all regional and international conferences and meetings concerned with the aviation industry, based on Egypt’s leading role in the field of civil aviation.
The agenda of the General Assembly of the International Aviation Organization includes a number of important issues related to air transport policies, sustainability and the future of the industry in light of the challenges it faces, foremost among which are the security, safety and environment of global aviation and electronic security within the framework of the global aviation security plan issued by ICAO.
Egypt participates in the work of the ICAO General Assembly with a high-level delegation headed by Minister Abbas.
