Muscat – Oman has received the Council President Certificate for safety from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for its aviation safety oversight system and high level of compliance with international standards and recommendations.

The award was presented during the opening of ICAO’s 42nd General Assembly at its headquarters in Montreal, Canada.

Oman made major improvement in aviation safety compliance indicators last year, advancing to fifth place globally after ranking 133rd in 2020. It also placed second in the region and the Gulf, recording an Effective Implementation score of 95.95% across eight areas of aviation safety oversight.

Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) attributed the progress to reforms including the Civil Aviation Law and guidelines, restructuring of the sector to meet ICAO requirements, recruitment of specialised national and international staff, new regulations and systems, and issuance of licences and permits for aircraft crews and maintenance stations. Oman also concluded bilateral agreements with several countries and put in place policies and controls to ensure airport security and air transport safety.

Nayef bin Ali al Abri, Chairman of CAA, said the ICAO recognition is the result of joint efforts and a clear vision to improve civil aviation safety and security. He said it reflected international confidence in Oman’s readiness and its standing as a regional centre in the sector.

He added that CAA and its partners would continue to implement international recommendations and develop the oversight system sustainably to maintain a high level of performance, in line with ICAO’s goals of strengthening global aviation security and safety.

The ICAO Council created the Council President Certificates under its ‘No Country Left Behind’ initiative, one of the organisation’s key strategic objectives. The recognition is based on results of the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme, which evaluates member states’ compliance with ICAO standards and recommendations through audits and safety data analysis.