The authorities of Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands hosted the 73rd Special meeting of ECAC’s Directors General in Maastricht from 4 to 7 September 2024.  The HCAA Governor, Mr. Christos Tsitouras and the General Director of Economic Oversight and Administrative Support, Mrs. Kalliopi Lykou participated in the event.

Mr. Frans Weekers, Secretary General of Benelux, delivered an insightful speech on the historical significance of Benelux as a regional organization. He emphasized the crucial role of cooperation in aviation, sustainability, security, and economic integration to further strengthen the region's position within Europe. The meeting also included presentations from the Directors General of the host States, focusing on their aviation systems.

Mr. Juan Carlos Salazar, Secretary General of ICAO, addressed Directors General on his priorities for ICAO and major initiatives taken in the context of the growth of civil aviation on a global scale.

The participants had important conversations on the challenges faced and lessons learnt from summer 2024, notably in terms of traffic data, delays, strikes, operational issues (e.g. immigration, screening checkpoints), shortage of staff, impact of weather conditions, etc. and how these challenges have been addressed. This discussion was preceded by a presentation by the Director General of EUROCONTROL, Mr. Raul Medina Caballero.

The European Commission informed Directors General on the most recent EU achievements and coming priorities and the Executive Director of EASA, Mr. Florian Guillermet, updated on recent developments in the field of safety in civil aviation.

Directors General also analyzed the latest developments on environment matters and European priorities for the 2025 ICAO Assembly.