Montreal: Malaysia has been re-elected as a Council Member of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) under Part III for the 2025-2028 term.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) announced the decision following the voting at the 42nd ICAO General Assembly held in Montreal, Canada. The Malaysian delegation was led by Deputy Transport Minister, Datuk Hasbi Habibollah. Notably, Malaysia has maintained its position as an ICAO Council Member for seven consecutive terms since 2007. The MOT stated that this re-election reflects the international community's confidence in Malaysia's commitment to advancing safety, innovation, and sustainability within the global civil aviation sector.
The MOT revealed that extensive lobbying was conducted throughout the session, which included 42 bilateral and multilateral meetings with foreign delegation heads and regional organisation representatives. Initially, 14 countries competed for 13 seats under Part III. However, Russia's failure to defend its seats under Parts I and II created an additional vacancy in Part III. Subsequently, Russia nominated itself under Part III, increasing the total number of nominations to 15 countries.
The MOT further reported that Malaysia, along with 13 other countries, successfully secured its ICAO Council Member seat under Part III, garnering 154 votes and placing seventh among the 15 contesting countries. This election marks Malaysia's best achievement in terms of the number of countries supporting it. In 2022, Malaysia received 136 votes, ranking 13th out of 14 contesting countries.
The MOT credited this success to the close cooperation and strong dedication from all involved parties, 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 aims to continue strengthening its commitment to ICAO, ensuring aviation safety, supporting innovation initiatives, and championing the sustainability of the global aviation industry. Furthermore, Malaysia plans to develop strategic infrastructure and enhance institutional capabilities to meet the needs of future aviation professionals.