ICAO Opens Green Airports Seminar in Cairo on 29 October

ICAO’s Green Airports Seminar 2026 opens in Cairo on Thursday, 29 October 2026 and runs for two days. The Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation is hosting the event under the patronage of Egypt’s Ministry of Civil Aviation, according to the specialist aviation news site Arb Aviation.

Turning the Assembly’s Outcomes Into Action

ICAO frames the seminar as a platform for advancing green, climate-resilient airports to support the environmental goals of international aviation. Efforts centre on turning the outcomes of the 42nd ICAO Assembly into practical action.

The previous assembly closed in Montreal on 3 October 2025, with 192 member states and around 3,000 delegates taking part. It reaffirmed the aspirational goal of net-zero carbon emissions from international aviation by 2050. It also endorsed the collective vision agreed at the Third Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF/3) in 2023: a 5% cut in CO2 emissions from international aviation by 2030, through sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and lower-carbon fuels, measured against a scenario with no cleaner fuels at all. 

The vision is aspirational and places no specific emission-reduction obligations on individual states. In his closing remarks, Salvatore Sciacchitano, President of the ICAO Council, said he hoped the session would be remembered as the one at which global ambition became global action.

Day One: Emissions Cuts and Clean-Energy Infrastructure

According to an article on ICAO’s Uniting Aviation website, the first day opens with a review of trends in airport infrastructure and how it is responding to a changing global context. Sessions then turn to operational measures, digital tools, and artificial intelligence, with transparent monitoring of fuel use and carbon savings relevant to the long-term aspirational goal and to states’ action plans.

Sessions also cover noise, biodiversity, the circular economy and community engagement, plus a dedicated dialogue on managing plastics at airports and airlines. Later sessions examine the role of infrastructure in supporting sustainable aviation fuel and other lower-carbon fuels, as well as airports’ readiness for new technologies, including electric and hydrogen-powered ground support equipment and advanced air mobility.

Officials in safety vests inspect solar panels on the roof of Dubai International Airport, with planes in the background.
Officials inspect the solar energy system at Dubai International Airport. Handout: Dubai Airports.

Day Two: Climate Adaptation and Finance

The second day opens with a presentation on ICAO’s work on climate adaptation and its recently published synthesis report. Sessions then examine the effects of climate change on airport infrastructure and operations, ways to build resilience into planning and operations, and how to scale up adaptation measures through finance and partnerships, according to the same source. ICAO describes the programme as preliminary.

Speakers

Egypt’s Minister of Civil Aviation, Dr Sameh El-Hefny, heads the list of speakers on ICAO’s speakers page, alongside Mohamed Rahma, ICAO’s Middle East regional director, and Aiman Arab, chairman of the Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation.

Speakers from the Gulf and wider Arab world include Maryam Telmesani, vice-president for sustainability at Saudia Group; Mohammed A. Salama, vice-president for environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters and safety at Jeddah Airports; Noora Al-Sharhan, head of ESG at Etihad Airways; Maryam Al-Balooshi, senior environment manager at the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority; Rashid Kizhakkayil of Sharjah Airport; Khalid Al-Mahrooqi of Muscat International Airport, part of Oman Airports; Farah Mismar, IATA’s regional manager for sustainability and environment; Ali Tounsi, director general of Airports Council International (ACI) Africa; and Seif Afifi of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Also taking part are Justin Erbacci, director general of ACI World; Sven Deckers, director of sustainability at Dubai Airports; David Brain, ICAO coordinator at Eurocontrol; Neil Dickson, ICAO’s chief of environmental standards; Elaf Raslan of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction; Dr Leonard Tampushi of Kenya’s National Environment Management Authority; and representatives of the International Finance Corporation and the World Meteorological Organization.

Maryam Ali Al-Balooshi at a podium speaking to attendees during ICAO Climate Week 2025, with seated panellists behind her.
Maryam Ali Al-Balooshi, State Lead Negotiator for Aviation Climate Change for the UAE, speaks at ICAO Climate Week 2025. Handout: ICAO.

Participation and Exhibition

The seminar brings together governments, airport operators, airlines, air navigation service providers, financial institutions, academics and international organisations. An accompanying exhibition will present solutions and help build partnerships; prospective sponsors can write to [email protected]. Registration and the participant guide are available on ICAO’s website, with a reminder that clocks go back one hour at midnight on Thursday night.

Why Airports?

ICAO estimates that domestic and international aviation together produce about 2% of man-made carbon dioxide emissions, and international aviation alone about 1.3%, according to its 2016 Environmental Report. A paper submitted to the 40th ICAO Assembly said commercial aviation emitted 918m tonnes in 2018, or 2.4% of emissions from fossil fuels, an increase of 32% in five years.

Between the 2050 goals and the reality of emissions, Cairo this week looks like a test of whether airports can turn pledges into concrete projects.

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