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The Doha Declaration on Facilitation of International Air Transport was adopted at the recently-concluded International Civil Aviation Organization Facilitation Conference in Qatar
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The declaration establishes a framework to transform global air travel as the industry prepares for greater growth
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The four-day conference was attended by more than 2,000 delegates from 138 nations and 17 international organizations
The Doha Declaration on Facilitation of International Air Transport was adopted at the recently-concluded International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Facilitation Conference in Qatar.
The four-day conference was attended by more than 2,000 delegates from 138 nations and 17 international organizations. It had as its theme “Collaboration, Efficiency, and Inclusivity.”
Juan Carlos Salazar, ICAO secretary general, in a statement said: “The Doha Declaration establishes a framework for addressing emerging challenges while setting a clear strategic direction for facilitation in civil aviation.”
It “codifies our shared vision for the future of air transport facilitation. As global mobility increases, ensuring that international air transport is seamless, efficient, and operates as a global system becomes ever more essential.”
He said the adoption represented their strategy “toward a more efficient, inclusive, and sustainable aviation system that will shape how billions of people experience air travel in the decades to come.”
Coming as it does at a critical time, ICAO forecasts that passenger numbers will nearly triple by 2050, reaching over 12.4 billion per year, creating opportunities and challenges for the industry.
For his part, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Thani, Minister of Transport of Qatar, stated: “Qatar’s hosting of this important event confirms the great importance we attach to the civil aviation sector as a fundamental pillar for economic development and enhancing regional and international connectivity.”
Throughout the Conference, expert panels and high-level discussions covered several themes:
• Digital Transformation in Border Management: Experts demonstrated how biometric technologies and digital travel credentials are revolutionizing passenger processing. ICAO’s Public Key Directory now has 104 participating States, validating over 2 billion ePassports worldwide.
• Inter-Agency Coordination: Discussions revealed that only 33% of member states had active National Facilitation Coordination Committees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Strengthening these committees was identified as essential to future crisis response.
• Passenger Experience Enhancement: Industry leaders proposed solutions to reduce end-to-end travel time to as little as 45 minutes through seamless contactless technology.
• Cargo Facilitation: While air cargo represents only 2-3% of global trade by volume, it constitutes 35% of trade value. World Customs Organization representatives outlined alignment between the Revised Kyoto Convention and ICAO standards to streamline cargo procedures.
• Public Health Resilience: The Conference examined strategies for maintaining safe international air transport during public health emergencies, noting that 85% of member states now participate in ICAO’s Collaborative Arrangement for the Prevention and Management of Public Health Events in Civil Aviation program.
The Conference also called for ratification of the Montréal Convention 1999 and Montréal Protocol 2014, which provide the fundamental legal framework for addressing key facilitation challenges, including compensation for passengers and managing unruly passenger incidents.
“The time has come for us to act on implementing our regulatory framework,” Sciacchitano said in his closing address. “We have sufficient regulation, and ICAO can play an extremely important role in bringing us all together to facilitate implementation and ensure no country is left behind.”
Mohamed Faleh Al-Hajri, Acting President of Qatar’s Civil Aviation Authority, said: “We look forward to paving the way toward achieving efficiency, inclusivity, and flexibility in passenger and cargo transport. This is not only an operational necessity but also a fundamental factor in enhancing the role of the aviation industry and its positive impact on the development of the global economy.”
The conference outcomes will be presented at the 42nd ICAO Assembly in Montréal this September, where all 193 member states are expected to convene to adopt binding resolutions on the strategic development of international civil aviation.
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