PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia has been re-elected as a Council Member of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) under Part III for the 2025-2028 term.
The Transport Ministry (MOT) said in a statement on Wednesday (Oct 1) that the decision was announced following the voting at the 42nd ICAO General Assembly in Montreal, Canada, yesterday. The Malaysian delegation was led by Deputy Transport Minister, Datuk Hasbi Habibollah.
Malaysia has held its position as an ICAO Council Member for seven consecutive terms since 2007.
"This reflects the international community’s confidence in Malaysia’s commitment to advancing the safety, innovation and sustainability of the global civil aviation sector,” the statement said.
According to MOT, extensive lobbying was conducted throughout the session, including 42 bilateral and multilateral meetings with foreign delegation heads and regional organisation representatives.
"Initially, 14 countries competed for 13 seats under Part III. Russia’s failure to defend its seats under Parts I and II, however, resulted in an additional vacancy in Part III.
"Russia subsequently nominated itself under Part III, bringing the total number of nominations for the category to 15 countries,” the statement said.
MOT said that Malaysia, along with 13 other countries, successfully secured its ICAO Council Member seat under Part III, garnering 154 votes and placing seventh of the 15 contesting countries.
"This election marks Malaysia’s best achievement in terms of the number of countries supporting it,” the statement added.
MOT said that in 2022, Malaysia received 136 votes, ranking 13th out of 14 contesting countries.
This success is the result of close cooperation and strong dedication from all parties involved, including officials from the MOT, Foreign Ministry, Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), Batik Air, AirAsia and AirAsia X.
Malaysia will continue to strengthen its commitment to ICAO in line with this success, ensuring aviation safety, supporting innovation initiatives, and championing the sustainability of the global aviation industry.
"Malaysia will also continue to develop strategic infrastructure and enhance institutional capabilities to meet the needs of the future generation of aviation professionals,” said the ministry. - Bernama
