On the margins of the 42nd ICAO Assembly in Montréal, EUROCONTROL Director General Raúl Medina Caballero and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar signed an important new Annex to the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between the two organisations. This Annex marks a significant step forward in deepening our long-standing partnership, which was first formalised in 1996.
The Annex broadens and reinforces the scope of cooperation between EUROCONTROL and ICAO across a wide range of key areas for the future of aviation. These include:
- Global Air Navigation Plan (GANP): benchmarking and harmonising performance frameworks and coordinating regional and national air navigation planning.
- Cybersecurity: supporting ICAO’s global cybersecurity strategy and awareness initiatives.
- Environmental sustainability: promoting good practices, capacity-building and support for the development of sustainable aviation fuels.
- Diversity and inclusion: advancing programmes and activities to attract and retain the next generation of aviation professionals.
- Civil-military cooperation: enhancing interoperability and crisis preparedness while ensuring dynamic airspace management.
- Higher Airspace Operations and Space Transport: contributing to the safe integration of new airspace users and space operations.
- Innovation and digitalisation: sharing European experiences and fostering the global uptake of new technologies, from trajectory-based operations to system-wide information management.
- Advanced Air Mobility and unmanned aviation: supporting ICAO’s development of frameworks for drones/RPAS and emerging air mobility concepts.
- Safety and contingency management: assisting States with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices, strengthening crisis responses, and supporting safety plan development.
- Regional cooperation: reinforcing collaboration across the ICAO EUR/NAT region, with EUROCONTROL continuing to play a key role in areas such as reduced vertical separation minima (RVSM) monitoring, and route network optimisation.
The Annex also puts a strong emphasis on practical collaboration, ranging from joint events, to technical assistance and benchmarking exercises, ensuring that ICAO and EUROCONTROL continue to complement one another in their efforts to support States and aviation stakeholders worldwide.
«This gives a new impulse to our longstanding cooperation with ICAO. By bringing together ICAO’s global reach and EUROCONTROL’s operational and technical expertise, we are better equipped to tackle the major challenges facing aviation – from sustainability and digitalisation, to safety, cybersecurity and the integration of new airspace users. This partnership is about building a safer, greener and more innovative global aviation system, and we are proud to contribute with our knowledge and experience to benefit the entire international aviation community.»
“ICAO and EUROCONTROL are joining forces to help countries implement the latest tools and technologies in air traffic management, deliver joint training for aviation professionals, and share operational data to improve airspace management. Through this new agreement, ICAO will strengthen cybersecurity, support sustainable aviation fuels, and help integrate new airspace users like drones and space vehicles. This partnership puts practical solutions in the hands of States and industry, helping to build a safer, more secure, sustainable, and more efficient global aviation system.”
With this new Annex, ICAO and EUROCONTROL have reaffirmed their commitment to shaping the future of global aviation through stronger collaboration, innovation and shared expertise.
