The Arab Civil Aviation Organization participated in the 33rd session of the General Assembly of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), held on December 1-3, 2021, in Kigali, Rwanda. The session was attended by the heads of civil aviation authorities of the member states of the Committee, the President of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Secretaries-General of regional civil aviation organizations and representatives of countries with cooperative relations with the African Commission.
President Paul Kagame of the Republic of Rwanda opened the 33rd session of the General Assembly of the African Civil Aviation Commission. In his speech, he stressed that the liberalization of air transport would enable the sustainable recovery of the aviation industry, following the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve this, it is necessary to invest in infrastructure and rehabilitation of human resources to benefit from the social and economic benefits provided by the African Air Transport Single Market (SAATM).
Affordability, while avoiding charging the aviation sector against other sectors to encourage citizens to travel by air, and speeding up the digitalization process to facilitate airport procedures to enhance passenger confidence, was also one of the most pressing trends of the President's speech.
The opening session also heard the interventions of His Excellency Mr El Togo Fort Gnassingbé, Champion of the African Air Transport Single Market Project, H.E Mr Gabriel Lesa, Chairman of the African Civil Aviation Commission, H.E Salvatore Sciacchitano, President of the ICAO of the International Civil Aviation Organization Organization Council, H.E Amani Abou-Zeid Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union Commission, and H.E Mr Cleaver Gatete, Minister of Infrastructure of the Republic of Rwanda.
In accordance with the agenda of the General Assembly, the members of the African Civil Aviation Commission discussed the reports of the Technical Committee, the Air Transport Committee as well as the Legal Committee, the report on the Triennium program for 2018-2020 implementation, and the adoption of the Triennium program for 2022-2025. The new Bureau of the Committee members were also elected under the chairmanship of Mr Silas Odahimuka, Director-General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Rwanda, for the period 2022-2025, as well as the States nominated for membership in the ICAO Council, and the Air Navigation Commission.
In his statement during the plenary, His Excellency, the Director-General of ACAO, stressed the importance of regional civil aviation organizations in implementing international civil aviation policies and that cooperation between these organizations was necessary to protect the vital interests of regional and international civil aviation.
His Excellency took this opportunity to thank AFCAC for its participation in the 26th General Assembly of the Arab Civil Aviation Organization last July and its participation in the symposium on the occasion of its twenty-fifth anniversary, in particular in discussions on ways to strengthen cooperation among regional organizations to meet the future global challenges facing air transport.
This is in addition to the joint organization of numerous seminars and workshops for the African and Arab civil aviation benefit.
HE the Director-General also pointed out that there are future topics that require continuous cooperation and coordination to highlight positions on actions taken on a fair global system to deal with the environmental impact of aviation and reduce gas emissions.
In conclusion, His Excellency expressed his optimism for continuing this cooperation with the new Chairman, the Secretariat and the African Commission through the improvement of consultation mechanisms on regional and international issues, which contributes to the sustainability of the air transport industry.