By Mohamed Attia
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) celebrated on December 7 the International Civil Aviation Day (ICAD), commemorating States’ signing of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention) in 1944. Egypt was one of the first countries in the world to sign this agreement.
Minister of Civil Aviation Mohamed Abbas affirmed that Egypt is committed to fulfilling its responsibilities in developing air transport to enhance security, safety and environment of global aviation, in coordination with ICAO.
The celebration is intended to raise awareness of the importance of international civil aviation to the economic and social development of countries, and of the unique role of ICAO in helping nations co-operate and build a global rapid transit network for the benefit of all mankind.
The theme of ICAD 2022 is “Advancing Innovation for Global Aviation Development”.
Meanwhile, Minister Abbas sent a cable to ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano, on World Civil Aviation Day, in which he said that he was keen to enhance fruitful co-operation with ICAO and to implement all its initiatives that guarantee the highest standards of air safety. He appreciated the international organisation’s efforts to upgrade various fields of air transport.
Minister Abbas pointed out that Egypt is proud of being one of the first countries in the world to sign the Chicago agreement. Egypt is one of the founding countries and a member of the organisation’s council since its establishment.
The minister expressed Egypt’s appreciation for the important role played by the ICAO regional office in Cairo, which was founded in 1953 to serve the Middle East region in the field of air transport.
He wished the organisation and all its employees more successes in light of the challenges facing the global aviation industry.
ICAO has established an online innovation site, and is working to adopt new technologies and approaches for civil society benefit. It has also launched a related global youth competition at this year’s ICAO Innovation Fair, the minister said.
Minister Abbas noted that the Ministry of Civil Aviation had managed during the past period to address many international crises, including Covid-19 pandemic and the repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The civil aviation sector has executed a number of development projects to increase the capacity of airports, under the leadership of Engineer Mohamed Saeed Mahrous, Chairman of the Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation.
The capacity of Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport was increased to 10 million passengers annually instead of 7.5 million.
Abbas went on to say that the ministry has worked to develop the Sphinx International Airport, raising its capacity to 1.2 million passengers annually, which contributes to the link between tourist destinations and archaeological sites.
In addition, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has embarked on implementing a number of projects to upgrade local airports nationwide, including doubling the capacity of Hurghada International Airport to 23 million passengers, and St. Catherine airport to 800,000 passengers annually.
Abbas said that his ministry has also taken a package of measures to revitalise air and tourism movement in coordination and co-operation with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
He said that the Ministry of Civil Aviation has drawn up a number of mechanisms to link coastal tourist resorts with archaeological sites. It also launched several revitalisation initiatives with the aim of encouraging tourists from all over the world to visit tourist destinations across the country.
The ministry was keen to operate the low-cost aviation system after approving a number of regulations governing it, Abbas said.
He added that his ministry applies this model of aviation through its subsidiary Air Cairo, and there is a plan to double the number of aircraft specialised for this purpose during the next period.
The ministry is working hard to transform Egyptian airports into “environmentally friendly” airports through using renewables, rationalising the use of electricity, and relying more on solar energy.
In addition, the Ministry of Civil Aviation seeks to mitigate the negative effects of climate change and reduce carbon emissions from aircraft via using biofuels, in line with all instructions and recommendations issued by ICAO and in accordance with the objectives of the National Strategy for Climate Change 2050.
EgyptAir, headed by Eng. Yehia Zakaria, has drawn up a comprehensive plan to increase air fleet and flights, in a bid to attract local, Arab and foreign tourists to Egypt.
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