News

Switzerland’s Candidature for the ICAO Council (2025–2028)

Giustino Mancini — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 14:38:54 +0000

Monday, June 2, 2025

Switzerland’s Candidature for the ICAO Council (2025–2028)

Switzerland is proud to present its candidature for part II of the ICAO Council for the 2025–2028 term in close cooperation with all member states of the Abis group: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Portugal.

As a founding member of the Abis Group, Switzerland is looking forward to continuing its active contribution to the advancement of international civil aviation.

Our Candidate: Helena Hallauer-Hess

Helena Hallauer-Hess, Switzerland’s candidate in the forthcoming ICAO elections, has over 20 years of experience in civil aviation and currently serves as Head of Legal and International Affairs at the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA).

Helena has led international negotiations and aviation security initiatives, including amendments to Annex 17 of the Chicago Convention, and has chaired the ICAO Cybersecurity Panel since 2022, enhancing global aviation resilience to cybersecurity threats.

With her academic background in international relations and her extensive negotiation experience, Helena is ideally positioned to advocate for Switzerland’s and the Abis group’s contribution to the ICAO Council, ensuring that the group continues to play a leading role in shaping global aviation policies.

Switzerland’s ambitions for the ICAO Council

Our Priorities:

· Securing the future aviation workforce

· Strengthening the resilience of the aviation system

· Promoting a sustainable aviation future

Our Approach:

· Dialogue

· Diligence

· Dedication

Learn more about Switzerland’s priorities and the campaign for the ICAO Council Election

Annual New Year’s Celebration

Giustino Mancini — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 14:33:53 +0000

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Annual New Year’s Celebration

ABIS Group proudly hosted its annual New Year’s celebration for ABIS family at ICAO, bringing together employees from ABIS states. This cherished tradition serves as an opportunity to strengthen connections within our community and welcome the new year with camaraderie and goodwill.

This year, our guests were treated to a delightful experience featuring an exquisite selection of wines from various ABIS states. The celebration was further elevated by a delicious menu crafted by Traiteur La Petite Cloche, which showcased traditional Austrian cuisine. Attendees enjoyed a variety of mouthwatering dishes, including schnitzel, roast beef, sausages, and liptauer. To round off the meal on a sweet note, apple strudel was served for dessert.

More than just a luncheon, this annual event fosters networking and collaboration among members of the ABIS states and the ABIS delegation. It also provides ICAO Secretariat staff with a unique opportunity to engage with our delegation in a relaxed and personal setting, strengthening professional relationships.

To encourage dialogue and gather valuable insights, we invited our guests to contribute their thoughts on two key questions: "What are your expectations for the 42nd Assembly?" and "What are your expectations from the ABIS Group for 2025 and the Assembly?" The responses were both enlightening and constructive, offering us a clearer perspective on the priorities and concerns of our community. As always, we are committed to reflecting on this feedback and integrating it into our strategic planning.

Last year, we conducted a similar exercise during our New Year’s celebration, and we are proud to say that we took all expressed concerns and objectives into account throughout 2024. As we step into the new year, the ABIS Group remains dedicated to fostering collaboration and ensuring that the voices of our community are heard and acted upon.

We extend our gratitude to all who attended and contributed to making this event a success. Here’s to another year of unity, progress, and shared achievements within the ABIS family!

Austrian National Day Reception at ICAO

Giustino Mancini — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 20:52:20 +0000

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Austrian National Day Reception at ICAO

A Night of Elegance and Celebration: The Austrian National Day Reception at ICAO Headquarters took place on the evening of October 30th, 2023. The delegate's lounge at ICAO in Montreal was transformed into a haven of Austrian culture and celebration.

Orchestrated by the Honorary Consul General of Austria in Montreal, Marc Bissell, the Representative of Austria on the Council of ICAO, Christian Schleifer, and the President of the Austrian Society, Monica Schirdewahn, the Austrian National Day reception was a resounding success. The enchanting evening commenced with the Master in voice of McGill singer Mr. Matthew Adam, who captivated the audience by singing both the Austrian and Canadian national anthems, setting the stage for an unforgettable night. Mrs. Schirdewahn skillfully mastered the ceremony, initiating a series of insightful speeches delivered by herself, Mr. Bissell, Mr. Schleifer, and the esteemed Ambassador Sylvia Meier-Kajbić. The highlight of the evening was a mesmerizing ballet extravaganza presented by the Mont-Royal Ballet Academy. Their live performance featured enchanting excerpts from their premiering Nutcracker, the lively Austrian Tritsch Tratsch Polka, and two captivating showcases by their youngest performers. The graceful movements of the dancers transported the audience into a world of artistry and elegance.

Following the breathtaking performance, Mrs. Schirdewahn announced the much-anticipated opening of the buffet, featuring delectable and authentic Austrian cuisine, like Wiener Schnitzel, Spinachstrudel and more meticulously prepared by Mr. Gabriel Jahel and his team from Traiteur La Petite Cloche. The aroma of these traditional Austrian dishes filled the air, creating an inviting atmosphere for guests to indulge in a culinary journey. As people savored the delicious Austrian food, complemented by a selection of fine Austrian wines and Almdudler, the evening became a platform for socializing and camaraderie. The delightful Austrian desserts like Appelstrudel served as the perfect finale to an evening filled with cultural. In essence, the Austrian National Day reception at the ICAO headquarters was a magical celebration, blending music, dance, and camaraderie.

The collaboration between Marc Bissell, Christian Schleifer, and Monica Schirdewahn created an event that not only honored Austria's rich cultural heritage but also fostered a sense of unity and appreciation among the diverse attendees. It was truly an evening to remember, marking the triumph of Austrian traditions in the heart of Montreal.

Credits: Photographie VANDA D’ALONZO Photography

MH 17 Disaster Foundation Board

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 15:25:50 +0000

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

MH 17 Disaster Foundation Board

Visit from Dutch MH-17 Disaster Foundation Board

The Abis Group was honored to meet Mr Piet Ploeg Chairman of the MH 17 Disaster Foundation board and Mr Leen van der Sar member and secretary of the board.

A very interesting opportunity to listen to the two gentlemen representing the families of victims. 283 passenger (10 different nationalities) and 15 crew members were killed on the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on 17 July 2014.

While the foundation is tirelessly searching and asking for answers to many open questions, they are also constructively providing information, their perspective, and a platform to provide support to families of the victims.

One of these questions is addressed to ICAO and the Council will next week decide on the jurisdiction to hear and determine the MH17 case at the ICAO Council.

Austria elected on the ICAO Council

Anonymous — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 15:59:14 +0000

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Austria elected on the ICAO Council

MONTREAL – After 15 years, Austria is represented on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization ICAO

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.

ICAO 41st Assembly

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 19:42:16 +0000

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

ICAO 41st Assembly

The ICAO Assembly is the Organization’s sovereign body. It meets at least once every three years and is convened by ICAO’s governing body, the Council

ICAO's 193 Member States and a large number of international organizations are invited to the Assembly, which establishes the worldwide policy of the Organization for the upcoming triennium.

During Assembly Sessions, ICAO’s complete work programme in the technical, economic, legal and technical cooperation fields is reviewed in detail. Assembly outcomes are then provided to the other bodies of ICAO and to its Member States in order to guide their continuing and future work, as prescribed in Article 49 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation.

41st ICAO Triennial Assembly - Reconnecting the World

List ICAO Montreal Hotels

ICAO Candidacy Tour Austria

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 00:51:07 +0000

Monday, June 20, 2022

ICAO Candidacy Tour Austria

Introduction of candidate of Austria for the Council elections at ICAO by Elisabeth Landrichter, Director General Civil Aviation

A very intensive week comes to an end, where the Austrian Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) Elisabeth Landrichter, was formally announcing the candidacy of Austria.

23 delegations were visited at ICAO for an extremely fruitful and constructive exchange on challenges, priorities, and targets for the upcoming triennium.

The highlight of the week was the Abis-Kingdom of the Netherlands reception event on the ICAO rooftop terrace, with great attendance in good atmosphere, drinks and appetizers under perfect weather conditions. The representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Richard Ossendorp underlined in his speech and celebrated the result achieved on the Business Plan and the ICAO budget, showing the great support to ICAO for the next triennium.

Elisabeth Landrichter introduced Austria as the ICAO Council candidate for the election 2022 and outlined the priorities of the campaign and introduced Christian Schleifer as the representative behind the candidature for Austria.

Successful results were achieved during the week and highlighted at the Abis reception, with appreciation to the whole Abis office team in Montreal!

Austria’s candidature for the 2022 ICAO Council elections

Anonymous — Wed, 18 May 2022 14:51:58 +0000

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Austria’s candidature for the 2022 ICAO Council elections

The Republic of Austria is honoured to introduce the Austrian candidate for the ICAO Council election 2022, Christian Schleifer.

Christian is an aviation enthusiast and professional with more than 30 years experience in civil aviation.

Austria presents its candidature for part II of the ICAO Council in close cooperation with all member states of the Abis group: Belgium, Croatia, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland.

Introducing our candidate Christian Schleifer

Christian has in-depth expertise as an engineer and pilot in both the private and the public sector. Christian has spent the past eight years as Secretary General and CEO of EUROCAE, the leading European-based international aviation standard developing organisation (SDO). Having served at the ICAO Air Navigation Commission (ANC) from 2009 to 2013 including his ANC presidencies in 2012 and 2013, Christian brings along profound experience in working with ICAO.

ICAO candidate 2022 representing Austria

Click below to learn more about Christian Schleifer and his ambitions:

Austria – a proud member of the Abis group

The Abis group was formed in 1980 and has ever since been actively engaged in the work of the ICAO Council as a reliable partner supporting ICAO`s strategic objectives, on the basis of a well-established rotation schedule. Abis is recognised for its integrity and professionalism in representing a group of states that are amongst the top four contributors to the ICAO budget.

Austria-ICAO Council Candidate 2022

Austria is fully committed to serve ICAO on the Council, to address the needs, targets and challenges of today and tomorrow in an agile, efficient and effective way to benefit aviation globally. Austria is committed to civil aviation as an indispensable component of modern societies enabling global and regional connectivity. As Vienna is home to one of the four United Nations headquarters, Vienna Airport therefore serves a high number of international destinations. Its ideal location makes Vienna airport an important hub for connecting Eastern and Western Europe. With Vienna as its home base, Austrian Airlines is Austria’s largest airline and a member of Star Alliance.

Learn more about current developments in Austrian aviation at:

Federal Ministry Republic of Austria-Climate Action

Research for climate-friendly aviation

Anonymous — Fri, 12 Mar 2021 16:21:14 +0000

Friday, March 12, 2021

Research for climate-friendly aviation

The European SOLIFLY research project led by AIT Austrian Institute of Technology develops multifunctional aircraft components with structural and electrical energy storage capabilities

The research project SOLIFLY (Semi-Solid-state LI-ion Batteries Functionally Integrated in Composite Structures for Next Generation Hybrid Electric Airliners) has recently been launched. Over the next three years, the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, together with its partners, the aeronautics research centers ONERA and CIRA, the Universities of Vienna and Naples, and the SME CUSTOMCELLS Itzehoe, will be conducting research on the development of special aircraft components. They are built into the supporting structure while also serving as electrical energy storage devices. The aim is to support the sustainable electrification of aviation: Through the multifunctionality of these components, an increase in overall system efficiency is to be achieved, for example weight reduction through integration of decentralized energy storage systems

On the way to zero-emission aviation

As in road transport, a shift is also taking place in aviation from traditional fossil fuel-powered propulsion systems to increasingly electric propulsion solutions. The goal is to increase energy efficiency and switch to renewable energy sources, thereby reducing the environmental impact of the next generation of aircraft – all the way to the complete decarbonization of aviation. In this context, the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology supports the European aviation industry with technological solutions for the development of "Hybrid Electric Aircraft".

Multifunctional components with integrated semi-solid state battery

Energy storage systems that meet the demands of aeronautics play a central role in the electrification of aircraft. For example, batteries with high energy density are needed that also meet the highest safety standards. Novel solid-state batteries made of active materials with high energy densities and solid, non-flammable electrolytes exhibit these properties. Currently, solid-state batteries are mainly developed for automotive applications, but their actual market introduction is not expected before 2025. The development of aviation-grade battery technologies and systems for passenger aircraft is currently still in its very early stages and is being driven forward in several European research projects with AIT’s participation (IMOTHEP and ORCHESTRA).

A promising approach is now being pursued by the European consortium led by AIT in the SOLIFLY project. The goal is to develop multifunctional structural components with integrated semi-solid state batteries for aeronautical applications, thus making structural batteries a viable technology for the next generation of (hybrid) electric aircraft.

Within SOLIFLY, two different scalable battery cell concepts are to be developed and combined: on the one hand, so-called Coated Carbon Fibres (CCF/carbon fibres coated with active material), which intrinsically store energy, and, on the other hand, thin battery cells that are installed into the carbon composite structure (Reinforced Multilayer Stack/RMS). Subsequently, both cell concepts will be scaled up to a representative aerospace-grade component (a stiffened panel) to demonstrate the electrochemical and mechanical properties of the developed structural battery technology.

Involvement of the aviation industry

An aspect that SOLIFLY focuses on is to closely link technological development to the actual needs of the aviation industry. To ensure this, the expectations and specifications of the aircraft manufacturers are incorporated into the design process from the very beginning, taking into account airworthiness and production requirements. A technology roadmap and a technology readiness level scale-up strategy are project outcomes which ensure that the inherently scalable processes can actually be industrialized.

New agreement between the Netherlands aerospace industry and airbus for sustainable aviation research

Richard — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 23:15:41 +0000

Thursday, February 25, 2021

New agreement between the Netherlands aerospace industry and airbus for sustainable aviation research

Dutch companies, from SMEs to large companies, have a strong position worldwide as innovative producers or suppliers for the aerospace and defense industry.

Today, this international cooperation has been strengthened with a new agreement between the Netherlands Aerospace Group (NAG) and Airbus to establish a long-term strategic relationship in the field of sustainable aviation research and innovation, for both academic and industrial parties. The dedication of Airbus to connect with the innovative and robust Dutch industry and knowledge centres is welcomed to enable a sound return of aerospace after the pandemic.

“We look forward to reaching the goals set together and realising a healthy future business for both Airbus and the NAG members!”, says Mr. Lex Besselink, Chairman of the Netherlands Aerospace Group.

Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen: “Breakthroughs are needed to fly quieter and cleaner. To achieve the CO2 reduction, we are focusing on technological innovations, such as new aircraft designs and new forms of propulsion, as well as sustainable aviation fuels. The first steps have been taken, such as the first passenger flight in the world with an admixture of 500 liters of sustainable synthetic kerosene. Let's inspire each other and enter the new era for aviation together!”.