Assad Kotaite was born in Hasbaya, Lebanon, on 6 November 1924. He graduated in Law from the French University of Beirut (1948) and received a Doctor of Law from the University of Paris (1952). He also studied at the Institut des hautes études internationales, University of Paris and the Academy of International Law, The Hague. In 1952, he was elected President of the Association of Attenders and Alumni of The Hague Academy of International Law.​

From 1953 to 1956, Dr. Kotaite was Chief of Legal Services, International Agreements and External Relations, in the Lebanese Directorate of Civil Aviation. From 1953 to 1970, he was a member of the Legal Committee of ICAO and he was the Representative of Lebanon on the Council of ICAO from 1956 to 1962 and again from 1965 until July 1970. From 1957 to 1959, he was a member of the United Nations Transport and Communications Commission and served as Chairman of the Ninth Session of that Commission. During Dr. Kotaite's term as a member of the ICAO Council, he served as Chairman of the Air Transport Committee from 1959 to 1962 and again from 1965 to 1968, as Second Vice-President of the ICAO Council in 1958 and as member and Vice-Chairman of the ICAO Finance Committee and Chairman of the Working Group on ICAO Financial Regulations in 1959. For several years he was a member of the ICAO Standing Group on Implementation. During the period from 1963 to 1964, when he did not serve on the ICAO Council, he was Chief of Administrative Services, Directorate General of Transport of Lebanon.

Dr. Kotaite was Secretary General of ICAO from 1 August 1970 until 1 August 1976 when he became President of the Council of ICAO. He retired on 31 July 2006, having served for 53 years the international civil aviation community, the last 30 of which were as President of the Council.

Shortly after his retirement, Dr. Kotaite became the first-ever President Emeritus of the ICAO Council, an honorary designation bestowed upon him by the Organization’s governing body. In 2013, he was awarded the 40th Edward Warner Award, the highest honour in the world of civil aviation, in recognition of his eminent contribution to the development of international civil aviation, most notably in the field of diplomacy and conciliation.

Mr. Assad Kotaite died on 27 February 2014 at the age of 89.