Minister of Civil Aviation Dr. Sameh El-Hefny received Ambassador Tariq Ali Faraj Al-Ansari, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Egypt; Mohammed bin Faleh Al-Hajri, President of the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority; Issa Al-Maliki, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO); Ahmed Rehan, Advisor to the Authority's President for Economic Affairs and External Relations; and their accompanying delegation, to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in civil aviation.
The meeting was attended by Abubakar Farah, ICAO Regional Director in Cairo; Mohamed Lotfy, IATA Regional Director for North Africa and the Levant; Amany Metwally, Permanent Undersecretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation; Captain Amr El-Sharkawy, Head of the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority; and Navigator Ehab Mohy, Chairman of the National Air Navigation Services Company.
During the meeting, the launch of a joint technical cooperation project between Egypt and Qatar was announced, aimed at shortening air routes within Egyptian airspace, contributing to raising operational efficiency, saving fuel consumption and reducing carbon emissions, in line with the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and in support of sustainable development goals and the common interests of the two countries.
The two sides also discussed a number of topics of mutual interest, including a proposal submitted by the Qatari side on strengthening cooperation in technical and regulatory fields, in addition to reviewing the efforts of the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority in developing airspace management and modernizing air navigation infrastructure.
He affirmed the strength of the relations and bilateral cooperation between Egypt and Qatar in civil aviation, which represents a model of regional integration built on mutual respect and common understanding, explaining that the existing cooperation between the two countries is based on the bilateral air transport agreement, supported by a number of memoranda of understanding related to increasing the number of passenger and air cargo flights, as well as facilitating access to Egyptian airports in line with the growth of air traffic.
The Minister of Civil Aviation pointed out that the project announced today is a strategic step toward strengthening the infrastructure of Egyptian airspace, enhances Egypt's position as a regional hub for air traffic, and at the same time supports the sustainable environmental efforts the state is making in the aviation sector.
Dr. Sameh El-Hefny praised the efforts of the specialized teams from the Civil Aviation Authority and the air navigation company, in full coordination with Air Force teams, to make the initiative a success, noting that this cooperation reflects the level of integration between the relevant national bodies and embodies the spirit of joint institutional work in the service of the civil aviation sector.
El-Hefny expressed Egypt's aspiration for more cooperation with the sisterly State of Qatar in the fields of aviation safety, technical training and the exchange of expertise, contributing to enhancing sustainable growth and modernizing operating mechanisms in the aviation sector in both countries, and expressed hope that this meeting would be crowned with fruitful results paving the way toward a broader and deeper partnership in civil aviation between the two sides.
For his part, Ambassador Tariq Al-Ansari expressed the State of Qatar's keenness to consolidate cooperative relations with the Arab Republic of Egypt, particularly in the civil aviation sector, praising the continuous development of infrastructure in Egypt and affirming his country's readiness to strengthen joint coordination in technical and regulatory fields. He noted that Egypt represents the heart of Arabism and enjoys a pivotal position at the regional and international levels, explaining that the air route shortening initiative is not limited to operational aspects, but also helps strengthen ties between the two peoples and increase air, trade and tourism traffic, reflecting a shared will to build an effective model of cooperation in air navigation.
Mohammed bin Faleh Al-Hajri, President of the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority, affirmed that the initiative is the fruit of constructive technical cooperation between the two countries and reflects the depth of the strategic partnership in the civil aviation sector and both sides' keenness to strengthen regional cooperation according to best practices approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), noting that this step helps improve air traffic efficiency, reduce flight times and cut fuel consumption and carbon emissions, which positively affects airlines and passengers and raises the quality of services provided.
Al-Hajri explained that the initiative is in line with the State of Qatar's priorities in achieving sustainability in the air transport sector, praising the spirit of cooperation and fruitful technical and operational coordination between the work teams in the two countries, and affirming that what has been achieved reflects the shared will to achieve integration in airspace management and air navigation and is a model to be followed in bilateral cooperation between sisterly countries.
He also expressed his appreciation to Minister of Civil Aviation Dr. Sameh El-Hefny and the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority, headed by Captain Amr El-Sharkawy, for the quick response and effective cooperation in making this distinguished initiative a success, affirming that the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority continues to adopt development initiatives that support safety, operational efficiency and air connectivity and contribute to achieving sustainable development regionally and internationally, and that what was achieved today is a starting point for future joint projects that strengthen cooperation between the two countries at the regional and international levels.
