Central Asia Establishes First Regional Civil Aviation Organization
The first regional civil aviation body in Central Asia, the Eurasian Civil Aviation Conference (EACAC), has been established. Comprising Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, EACAC held its inaugural meeting in Almaty, Kazakhstan, with participation from aviation authorities of these nations, according to the Ministry of Transport.
EACAC aims to consolidate regional representation in major global aviation bodies, including ICAO, the European Commission, and IATA. Representatives from Mongolia attended the meeting as observers.
Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of Transport, Talgat Lastayev, opened the event, highlighting that EACAC’s formation marks a milestone in Eurasian civil aviation. He emphasized that EACAC will enhance cooperation among member states in areas such as flight safety, aviation security, sustainable development, and personnel training, providing a foundation to address future challenges.
The event included the signing of a declaration formally establishing EACAC, with Saltanat Tompieva, Chairperson of Kazakhstan’s Civil Aviation Committee, signing on behalf of Kazakhstan. The declaration underscores EACAC’s goal of fostering coordination and collaboration among Eurasian aviation authorities.
Kazakhstan’s Aviation Administration Director General, Catalin Radu, expressed that EACAC will enhance regional unity and presence on the global aviation stage, with support from both governments and industry. He noted that partnerships would now be strengthened with similar organizations, including ACAO, AFCAC, ECAC, and LACAC, alongside key international institutions.
During the event, a project to establish an Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan Excellence Center was presented, and the creation of an “EACAC inspectors database” was approved.
Following the meeting, Talgat Lastayev was appointed EACAC’s Secretary General, while Uzbekistan’s Director General of the Civil Aviation Agency, Takhir Nazarov, was named President.
EACAC’s objectives include enhancing regional cooperation, implementing unified policies for flight safety, simplifying processes, supporting sustainable aviation growth, and fostering unmanned aviation development. The organization will coordinate international standards across the region, bolster member states’ aviation capabilities, provide technical support, and establish a shared pool of technical resources.
The EACAC initiative was initially proposed in May 2023 during the Kazakhstan Aviation Dialogue, with the project introduced at a meeting in Toulouse in April 2024, bringing together Directors General of Civil Aviation from the European and North Atlantic regions.
