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The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding arrangements for Qatar hosting the ICAO Facilitation Conference 2025 (FLAC 2025), slated for Q2 of 2025.

In attendance of Minister of Transport H.E. Jassim Saif Ahmed Al-Sulaiti, the MoU was signed by Mr. Mohammed Faleh Al-Hajri, in charge of managing the QCAA, and President of the ICAO Council H.E. Salvatore Sciacchitano.

Minister Al-Sulaiti commented by saying that FALC 2025 will offer stakeholders an important opportunity to define priorities and establish cooperation between entities working in civil aviation and the national and international procedures on the correct identification of passengers.

FALC 2025 is the first of its kind, he added, in terms of combining the ministerial level and high-profile officials representing civil aviation authorities of world countries and the international bodies to reach a consensus to formulate global recommendations regarding key issues of air transportation facilitation.

What makes FALC 2025 unique is that a ministerial announcement regarding civil aviation facilitations would emanate from the high-level ministerial part of it and that announcement aims at providing aviation services for reliable and seamless air transportation, guiding the public policies concerning key issues of facilitation, thereby supporting the delivery of the ICAO strategic goals on security and facilitations, as well as reporting recommendations to next year’s 42nd Session of the ICAO, the minister said.

Qatar continues developing its national facilitations’ procedures and processes, embracing latest passenger identification technologies, developing airports’ facilities and services, and twinning its systems with global standards in terms of surveillance, clearance of goods, passenger data exchange, International Health Regulations, and other areas of facilitation.

Qatar is well-prepared to host this important global event, he said. The concerted efforts with the ICAO will achieve the desired outcomes of the conference and the effective rollout of air transportation’s facilitation measures, he added.

“We look forward to fruitful discussions and workshops during the conference and to introduce the delegates to latest global technologies and air transportation facilitation systems which global exhibitors will showcase at the accompanying exhibition,” the minister said.

Mr. Al-Hajri said, “We believe that implementing international facilitation standards is essential not only for global commitment but also for sustainable development. Qatar’s aviation sector prioritizes enhancing policies and procedures to ensure a comfortable and secure travel experience. We are also committed to ongoing training initiatives to build our capabilities and ensure compliance with the ICAO regulations. Hosting this conference allows for us to share our experiences and benefit from international expertise.”

He added that the signing of this MoU marks a significant milestone for 2024, designated by the ICAO as the Year of Facilitation, and we take pride in Qatar’s active role in the ICAO Facilitation Expert Team. Qatar remains committed to advancing border facilitation while supporting ICAO’s “No Country Left Behind” initiative, he added.

“We look forward to achieving meaningful outcomes from this conference and establishing a unified global vision for air transportation facilitation that benefits both states and stakeholders,” Mr. Al-Hajri said.