On Saturday 1st October 2022 Austria was elected to be represented on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) with a clear majority during the Assembly. ICAO is the United Nation (UN) organization responsible for the developments of international civil aviation, governed by the ICAO Council consisting of 36 members. "With this seat on the Council, Austria has now a direct influence on ensuring that safety, the environment and new technologies remain at the top of the agenda," states the Ministry of Climate Protection. 

In her opening statement, Federal Minister Leonore Gewessler called on the delegates to adopt ambitious targets for de-carbonisation in global air transport: “It is without any doubt that aviation will remain an essential part of international traffic to enable tourism, build cultural ties and allow businesses to flourish. At the same time, it has to be clear for all of us that in order to achieve climate-neutral aviation, changes on all levels are needed, such as new technologies, SAF, digitalization or intermodal solutions like rail to plane.”

Christian Schleifer will represent Austria on the Council of ICAO for the next three years. He has many years of experience and expertise in the different areas of civil aviation, both at national and international level. “Environment is a priority for international aviation. Therefore, my focus will be on ambitious measures such as market uptake for sustainable fuels and promoting climate-neutral technologies. The defined goal is to achieve CO2 neutrality by 2050,” says Christian Schleifer.

193 states are members of ICAO, the organization is considered to be a major player in global aviation. ICAO sets global standards for the international air transport.
Besides Austria, the Abis rotation group also includes Belgium, Croatia, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland and maintains a permanent representation at ICAO in Montreal.