When people think about international aviation, they often think about aircraft, airports, airlines, and air traffic management systems. Behind all of them, there is a global governance framework that helps ensure aviation remains safe, secure, efficient, and sustainable across borders.
The ICAO Council is at the center of that framework.
Every three years, the ICAO Assembly meets to set the direction for international civil aviation and elect the 36-State Council that serves as our governing body. In between Assemblies, the ICAO Council keeps ICAO’s contribution to the global aviation system, moving forward. It is where States work together to oversee ICAO’s activities, adopt international aviation Standards and Recommended Practices, approve policies, and guide the Organization’s response to emerging challenges facing global aviation. The Council’s decisions influence how international aviation evolves on issues ranging from safety and security to environmental protection and innovation.
This week, Member States took an important step to further strengthen that governance framework when the Government of Ecuador completed the legal requirements that will expand the ICAO Council and the Air Navigation Commission, the ICAO technical body responsible for advising the Council on matters related to air navigation.
On 12 June 2026, the Government of Ecuador deposited instruments of ratification to the Protocol Relating to an Amendment to the Convention on International Civil Aviation [Article 50 (a)] and the Protocol Relating to an Amendment to the Convention on International Civil Aviation [Article 56], both signed at Montréal on 6 October 2016. The instruments were deposited at ICAO’s Montréal Headquarters.
What does this mean?
The deposits made by Ecuador are the 128th deposit for both instruments (Article 50 and Article 56). There needed to be 128 deposits to complete the legal requirements to expand the ICAO Council from 36 Member States to 40, and the Air Navigation Commission from 19 members to 21. It is a Protocol that came into immediate effect.
“Broader representation of States and their priorities at the ICAO Council and Air Navigation Commission will enable ICAO to optimize the safe, secure, and sustainable development of air transport for all,” remarked ICAO Council President Toshiyuki Onuma. “We are grateful to those States who have ratified the protocols amending the Chicago Convention, demonstrating their commitment to air transport and to the benefits it brings to the entire global community.”
Increasing the membership of the ICAO Council and Air Navigation Commission will enhance transparency, inclusiveness, and geographical representation in ICAO’s governance processes, helping ensure our decision-making structures reflect the evolving needs of the global aviation community. These measures reinforce our commitment to effective, representative, and forward-looking governance at a time when international cooperation remains essential to addressing aviation’s increasingly complex challenges.