First Middle East Civil Aviation Safety Summit attracts key regional and international experts

The summit, held under the patronage of H.H Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy prime minister of the UAE, will be held at the Abu Dhabi Al Raha Beach Hotel on 21 and 22 January 2008.

Prominent aviation industry leaders who have confirmed their participation include HE Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Minister of Development for Government Sector, Chairman of the Board, of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), HE Khalifa Al Mazrouei, Chairman and Managing Director of Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC); Dr. Taieb Sherif, Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO); Mr. William Voss, President and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation, Ambassador Edward Stimpson, Chairman of the Flight Safety Foundation, James Filippatos, Director of International Aviation of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); and Claude Probst, Director of Regulations of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

'The purpose of the summit is to develop a prioritised action plan that integrates existing efforts with crucial safety needs. This will involve focus studies of particular challenges facing the industry and identifying the best international practices, maturity models, and practical strategies for achieving them,' said Mohammed Abdullah Al Salami, deputy chairman, director general of the GCAA.

HE Khalifa Al Mazrouei, chairman and managing director of ADAC who are co-hosting the event said: 'The Summit signals a new era of cooperation between aviation operators and regulators around the world in an effort to improve the safety of global civil aviation. We are pleased to co-host this significant event with the GCAA and look forward to witnessing the initiation of a regional safety plan of action from the UAE capital.'

The Summit will be preceded by a pre-meeting of the Steering Committee on 19 and 20 January to finalise the agenda, brief session chair persons and facilitators and discuss relevant data to be made available to the delegates, as well as expected outcomes.