Upcoming NGAP Global Summit

NGAP Programme

The Next Generation of Aviation Professionals programme, or NGAP, was established to ensure that the international air transport system will have a sufficient supply of qualified and competent professionals to operate, manage, and maintain its future.

In support of this effort, ICAO’s Assembly adopted Resolution A39-29, urging Member States to identify their long-term human resource needs and to develop strategies to attract, train, educate, and retain aviation professionals.

Today, this initiative is more critical than ever. The aviation industry is facing a confluence of challenges, including but not limited to:

A large portion of the current workforce is approaching retirement;
Many professionals left the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic and have not returned;
In many regions, access to affordable education and training remains a significant barrier;
Aviation is now competing with other sectors for highly skilled talent.
There is still a lack of harmonized competencies and qualifications across some aviation disciplines; and
Many young people simply lack awareness of the wide range of exciting and meaningful careers that aviation can offer.

In response to this urgent global need for a resilient and future-ready workforce, ICAO has made “Attracting new talent” a high priority in both its 2026–2050 Strategic Plan and its 2026–2028 Business Plan.

To support these efforts, ICAO has developed a global NGAP strategy, structured around a clear Vision, Mission, Objectives, and Four Key Focus Areas.

This strategy provides a comprehensive framework to guide workforce planning at the international, regional, and national levels. More importantly, it serves as a common platform to bring together all aviation stakeholders to jointly tackle today’s human capital challenges and prepare for those of tomorrow.

NGAP Vision

A global aviation community that has sufficient and competent human resources to support a sustainable aviation system that connects the world for the benefit of all people.

NGAP Mission

To guide the development of global, regional, and national planning and serve as a global forum for exchanging information, promoting strategies, sharing best practices and guidance to support States capabilities and industry partners in attracting, educating, and retaining the next generation of aviation professionals.

NGAP Objectives

NGAP Key Focus Areas

The objectives of the NGAP programme can be achieved through concerted efforts among all stakeholders across these 4 key focus areas:

The full version of the ICAO NGAP strategy is available here. The strategy serves as a dynamic framework, adaptable to the evolving needs of the industry and the outcomes achieved.

NGAP Key Stackeholders

NGAP issues are of critical interest to a broad range of stakeholders, including airlines, air navigation service providers, airports, manufacturers, training institutions, universities, member states, youth and aviation workers. Effectively attracting, educating, and retaining the next generation of aviation professionals necessitates strong collaboration with both national and international education and labor organizations and industry partners. This collaboration is essential for aligning industry requirements with educational curricula, fostering diverse and inclusive work environments, and ensuring sustainable talent pipelines.