President El-Sisi Meets Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization

alhadath – cairo

Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, Mr. Juan Carlos Salazar. The meeting was also attended by Minister of Civil Aviation, Dr. Sameh El-Hefny, and ICAO Regional Director for the Middle East, Mr. Mohamed Rahma.

Spokesman for the Presidency, Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy, said the President welcomed Mr. Salazar, expressing Egypt’s appreciation for ICAO’s vital role as the international authority responsible for regulating the civil aviation sector globally and ensuring the highest levels of safety and operational efficiency. President El-Sisi lauded the ongoing cooperation between Egypt and the Organization, both at the bilateral and regional levels, notably in light of Cairo hosting the Organization’s Regional Office for the Middle East.

President El-Sisi emphasized Egypt’s commitment to developing civil aviation as a strategic sector directly linked to comprehensive economic development, confirming that it plays a pivotal role in fostering trade, tourism, and investment while strengthening connectivity between markets and nations.

The President noted that Egypt is implementing an integrated plan to modernize the civil aviation system, which includes developing infrastructure, improving service quality, increasing operational efficiency, and enhancing technical and human capabilities, in addition to expanding the capacity of Egyptian airports.

ICAO’s Secretary General, Mr. Salazar, expressed pleasure at meeting with the President, commending Egypt’s key role in supporting and developing the civil aviation sector, at both the international and regional levels. He lauded the significant efforts exerted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Egyptian airports recently to accommodate a large number of emergency and rescheduled flights resulting from the closure of several airspaces due to the war in the region. Mr. Salazar affirmed that Egypt succeeded in addressing these challenges with efficiency and responsibility, ensuring the continued flow of air traffic in a safe and organized manner.

During the meeting, it was agreed to forge closer cooperation between Egypt and ICAO. The Minister of Civil Aviation said an agreement was signed to renew the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s hosting of the Organization’s regional office headquarters in Cairo. Dr. El-Hefny also reviewed aspects of technical and operational cooperation between the two sides, stressing Egypt’s determination to build upon the milestones achieved and continue joint efforts in the coming period so as to keep pace with the scale of opportunities and challenges facing the civil aviation sector.