Uche Usim, Abuja
There is a change of guard at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in Montreal, Canada as Mr. Salvatore Sciacchitano, the representative of Italy is set to succeed Nigeria’s Dr Olumuyiwa Bernard Aliu, as the sixth Council President.
Aliu has held the position for two consecutive terms since 2014. Sciacchitano will be ICAO President for a three-year term, beginning January 1, 2020.
He was announced as the next Council President after an election of the 36-member council which he won with 19 votes against his closest contestant, Captain Aysha Alhameli of United Arab Emirates who got 13 votes. ICAO in a statement said, “The 36-member governing body of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the ICAO Council, has elected Mr. Salvatore Sciacchitano of Italy as its President for a three-year term, beginning 1 January 2020.”
Mr. Sciacchitano’s candidacy had been endorsed by the 44 General Directors of the European Civil Aviation Conference. His election follows an accomplished 39-year career in aviation, during which he served as General Director of the Italian Airworthiness Authority (RAI), as Deputy General Director of the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC), and many other international positions including as Executive Secretary of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC; 2010–2018).
He had also participated in several ICAO Assemblies as Chief or Alternate Chief of the Italian Delegation to ICAO, as well as the Chief Delegate of ECAC. He had also recently been appointed to the Italian Delegation to the ICAO Council.
Sciacchitano is fluent in English, French and Italian. He graduated as a Master in telecommunication engineering “cum laude” from the University of Catania, and has an extensive educational background in both aviation and management. ICAO on its website explained that, “The Council is a permanent body of the Organisation responsible to the Assembly.