This week in Cairo, Egypt, ICAO Secretary General met with the President of Egypt, H.E. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, to discuss enhanced cooperation in support of air transport development and regional connectivity. The meeting highlighted Egypt’s longstanding partnership with ICAO, including its role as host of the ICAO Middle East Regional Office, which has supported 15 Member States since its establishment in 1953.
H.E. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi welcomed Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar in Cairo on 19 April 2026. The discussions were attended by the Minister of Civil Aviation of Egypt, H.E. Sameh El-Hefny, and Mr. Mohamed Rahma, Director of ICAO’s Air Transport Bureau and Officer-in-Charge of the ICAO Middle East Regional Office.
Secretary General Salazar commended Egypt’s leadership during the recent regional airspace crisis, noting its decision to keep its airspace open and airports on high alert. He praised the Civil Aviation Ministry’s handling of diverted flights, highlighting that Egypt’s support for airlines and passengers helped ensure the safe and orderly continuation of air traffic during an unprecedented disruption.
Our Secretary General emphasized ICAO’s appreciation of the continuous communication and close cooperation of Egyptian authorities, declaring that this partnership helped avert a broader operational crisis.
President El-Sisi acknowledged ICAO’s global leadership in advancing civil aviation and reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to driving economic growth through the development of air transport. He emphasized Egypt’s modernization of infrastructure, improvement of operational efficiency and service quality, and expansion of capacity to meet rising air traffic demand.
Both sides underscored Egypt’s longstanding cooperation with ICAO at both the bilateral and regional levels, representing the following Member States: Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Egypt and ICAO then renewed these hosting arrangements, with Minister El-Hefny and Secretary General Salazar signing an agreement in the presence of senior officials from both sides.
The renewal reflects ICAO’s confidence in Egypt’s aviation infrastructure and its ongoing regional and global contributions to civil aviation. Following the signing ceremony, Secretary General Salazar and Minister El-Hefny reviewed implementation support and capacity-building programmes and initiatives provided by the Regional Office, and explored how these could contribute further to integrated and efficient air transport for the region.