Kazakhstan Signs ICAO Master Plan

The agreement was formalised during a visit by ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano. Photo: gov.kz

Kazakhstan has become the first nation in Central Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent States to sign a civil aviation master plan with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), laying out a roadmap for industry development through to 2050.

The agreement was formalised during a visit by ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano, who met with Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport to sign the document.

Under the plan, ICAO will work with Kazakhstan to enhance its aviation sector between 2026 and 2050. The Ministry noted that the country has already made considerable progress in aligning with ICAO regulations. Over the past 15 years, Kazakhstan’s compliance rate has grown from 47% to 82%, putting it on par with several European nations, including Poland, the Czech Republic and Denmark.

This improvement led to the removal of all restrictions on Kazakh airlines operating within the European Union earlier in 2024.

«Kazakhstan has achieved real progress in civil aviation. The system is functioning well, and the country’s performance now surpasses the global average. ICAO remains committed to supporting further growth in this area,» Sciacchitano said.

The Ministry of Transport has now set its sights on reaching 90% compliance with ICAO standards.

During the visit, the Organisation and the Ministry also signed a joint declaration and discussed future cooperation. The focus areas include enhancing flight safety, upgrading aviation infrastructure, increasing passenger numbers, promoting sustainable aviation fuel, and advancing other sectoral projects.

Kursiv also reports that a new drone aviation complex has been launched at one of Uzbekistan’s border guard units.