ICAO Secretary General builds consensus on safety and innovation

ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar embarked on a series of high-level discussions with government officials and aviation industry stakeholders in a recent mission to Washington, DC. 

During high-level interactions with the Board of the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) in Washington, DC, the Secretary General called for heightened international cooperation in achieving the complete elimination of fatalities from air transport worldwide.

Having expressed his gratitude for the invitation by the FSF’s Chief Executive Officer and President, Dr. Hassan Shahidi, the Secretary General emphasized the importance of this objective within ICAO’s strategic planning. 

"The remarkable safety improvements we have achieved over the decades stem directly from our collective efforts,” Mr. Salazar remarked. “Governments, operators, labour, and industry partners throughout the aviation ecosystem have worked together toward our shared vision of an ever-safer global air transport system."

Secretary General Salazar also highlighted the Foundation's pivotal contributions to global aviation safety, including its very recent contribution to the Global Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Incursions (GAPPRI), which will help prevent one of the major risks of high-fatality occurrences identified in the ICAO Global Aviation Safety Plan.

His mission also featured comprehensive bilateral meetings with senior United States government officials from the US Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration on shared aviation policy priorities, as well as the staff of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space and Innovation’s chairman. 

In addition to the bilateral meetings, Mr. Salazar took part in a wide-ranging ICAO–U.S. aviation industry roundtable hosted by American Airlines. 

The Secretary General engaged with the hosts and senior representatives from Boeing and FedEx, and major industry associations including Aerospace Industries Association, Airports Council International, Air Traffic Control Association, American Association of Airport Executives, Commercial Drone Alliance, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, International Air Transport Association, National Business Aviation Association, and Vertical Aviation International.

The event offered a valuable opportunity to exchange views on shared priorities and strengthen collaboration between ICAO and the U.S. aviation sector.

Throughout his meetings, the Secretary General acknowledged the leadership of United States stakeholders in advancing aviation innovation and emphasized ICAO's readiness to strengthen technical cooperation. This reflects ICAO's broader strategy of advancing aviation safety, security, sustainability, and efficiency through deeper partnerships with both Member States and key stakeholders in the global air transport community. Mr. Salazar was accompanied throughout his mission by Michele Merkle, Director of ICAO’s Air Navigation Bureau.