On 9 May 2022, ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano delivered the opening keynote address at the Future of Aviation Forum, which was hosted in Riyadh by the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Held at a pivotal moment for the global aviation sector, Saudi Arabia designed the Future Aviation Forum to bring leaders from across the aviation ecosystem to work together on resilience and modernization, and act as a global platform to collectively set an agenda for the future of the sector.
The President underscored in his introduction how the well-attended and high-level in-person event provided a "very positive sign that more optimistic and profitable horizons now lie ahead for global aviation."
He proceeded to identify several key priorities for the sector at present, including the basic financial viability of both the industry and regulators which oversee it, the increasingly urgent challenge to aggressively decrease and eliminate air transport emissions even as the world and its economic recovery now fundamentally relies on restored traffic growth, and the resilience aviation needs to achieve to mitigate future pandemic events.
The President's two day mission to Saudi Arabia also comprised a series of bilateral ministerial meetings at which many of the forum's topics were explored.
Discussions with the Minister of Transport of Saudi Arabia, H.E. Saleh Nasser Al-Jasser, and Saudi Arabia's Director-General of Civil Aviation, H.E. Abdulaziz A. Al-Duailaj were followed by meetings with the Minister of Public Works of Guyana, Hon. Bishop Juan Edghill; the Minister of Transportation of Libya, H.E Muhammad Salem Al-Shahoubi; the Minister of Transport of Mauretania, H.E. Ahmed Yedaly Moctar; and the Minister of Transportation and Civil Aviation of the Maldives, H.E. .Aishath Nahula.
Additionally, the President met with Ms. Paola Tamburelli, the Director General of Civil Aviation of Argentina, and the CEO of SITA, Mr. David Lavorel.
The President was accompanied and assisted throughout his mission to Saudi Arabia by ICAO's Regional Director for the Middle East, Mr. Mohamed Abubaker Farea.
