The first meeting of the European and North Atlantic Regions Aviation Security and Facilitation Group (ENAVSECFALG/01) was held in Paris under the auspices of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

During the meeting, it was decided to expand the group’s mandate to include the provisions of ICAO Annex 9 “Facilitation” (FAL). Participants discussed current threats to aviation security, including unmanned aerial vehicles, man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS), cybersecurity issues, the development of new technologies and the use of artificial intelligence, as well as measures to address unruly passengers and improve the accessibility of air transport.

Particular attention was drawn to Kazakhstan’s successful completion of the ICAO audit with a score of 95.7% — the highest result achieved by any country in the region — confirming the high level of the national aviation security system.

Kazakhstan continues its active engagement within ENAVSECFALG. The Vice-Chair of the group is Darkhan Espotanov, a representative of the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan.

The meeting was also attended by Zhanibek Sharipbayev, Chief aviation security officer-member of Management Board of the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan, and Madina Dosmurzynova, Head of the Operations Center of the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan.

The Kazakh delegation presented three working papers: on strengthening regional cooperation; on a classification system for non-compliances in the field of national aviation security; and on best practices for handling unruly and disruptive passengers. All documents received positive feedback from the participants.

The outcomes of the meeting will contribute to further harmonization of national procedures with international standards and to strengthening cooperation in the EUR/NAT region. Kazakhstan’s participation in the event reaffirms its commitment to maintaining a high level of air transport security.