President of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Salvatore Sciacchitano, has made a historic first visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Today, the Minister of Transport of Kazakhstan held a meeting with the ICAO Council President at the Ministry's headquarters. The parties discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation between Kazakhstan and ICAO, including flight safety, infrastructure modernization, passenger traffic growth, the development of sustainable aviation fuel (ACT-SAF), and other key issues.

Following the meeting, a number of important documents were signed: a Joint Declaration between the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), as well as a Civil Aviation Master Plan (CAMP) through 2050. The Master Plan provides for ICAO’s support to Kazakhstan in the development of the aviation sector from 2026 to 2050. Kazakhstan has become the first country in Central Asia and the CIS to establish such a platform for enhancing the industry.

Salvatore Sciacchitano praised Kazakhstan’s steps in advancing its civil aviation sector and its regional leadership, highlighting the reforms, the work of the Ministry of Transport, cooperation within the ICAO EUR/NAT Regional Office, and the country’s strong compliance with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices. Notably, Kazakhstan has increased its compliance level from 47% to 82% over the past 15 years, enabling the full lifting of restrictions on flights by Kazakh airlines to the European Union.

The next target is to achieve 90% compliance with ICAO standards.

In addition, the meeting acknowledged Kazakhstan’s successful work in promoting gender equality in the sector, the implementation of the “Open Skies” regime, and the National Plan to reduce CO₂ emissions in aviation.

The two sides agreed to maintain close high-level contact and continue their cooperation in a positive and dynamic manner.