Egyptian Prime Minister H.E. Eng. Sherif Ismael (left) with ICAO Council President Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu. President Aliu thanked Egypt for generously serving as Host State for ICAO’s Middle East Regional Office since 1953, and extended offers of support to the State with respect to the ongoing Metrojet Flight 9628 accident investigation.
MONTRÉAL, 10 DECEMBER 2015 – The Council President of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, met earlier today with Egyptian Prime Minister H.E. Eng. Sherif Ismael. Joining them on the occasion were Captain Hossam Kamal, Egyptian Minister of Civil Aviation, and Mr. Mohamed Khonji, ICAO Middle East (Cairo Office) Regional Director.
With October’s Metrojet 9628 incident now under investigation, as per the official requirements under Annex 13 to the Chicago Convention, President Aliu extended a general offer of ICAO support to Egypt with respect to the accident investigation itself, as well as the eventual implementation of any of its recommendations. As the State of Occurrence under Annex 13, Egypt sent official notification of the accident to ICAO on 1 November.
President Aliu also discussed a range of issues which will be on the table at ICAO’s 39th triennial Assembly in Montréal next September, including the agreement being sought on an MBM for international aviation and the Council State elections.
He took the opportunity to express ICAO’s deep gratitude to Egypt for serving as the longstanding host to ICAO’s Middle East Regional Office, and stressed ICAO’s strong commitment, under the UN specialized agency’s ongoing No Country Left Behind Programme, to assist Egypt with reaching its essential aviation development objectives in the areas of safety, security and capacity building.
“ICAO has been very pleased by the level of support and cooperation which Egypt has provided us in its capacity as Host State to our Middle East Regional Office, which has been located here in Cairo for more than 50 years now, ” he commented. “And we are especially grateful for its more recent commitment to complete new facilities for ICAO in the coming months, which will permit us to help States and industry groups within the Region cooperate even more effectively.
All ICAO Member States will face significant challenges in the next 15 years, as our sector continues to expand to the benefit of citizens and businesses everywhere,” President Aliu continued. “ICAO will be working very hard to foster the cooperation, political will and financial commitments now needed towards infrastructure modernization, skilled personnel development, and many other priorities, in order to ensure that this growth is managed as safely and efficiently as possible. ”
Resources for editors:
ICAO Accident Investigation Activities - ICAO’s Aviation Development and No Country Left Behind initiative
The ICAO Global Aviation Safety Plan - The ICAO Global Air Navigation Plan
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