UAE's Maryam Al Balooshi Re-Elected to Chair ICAO Aviation Environment Committee

The vote took place at the second meeting of the committee's fourteenth cycle, held in Montreal from October 19 to 23, 2026. The committee includes representatives of 34 countries, and her new term runs from October 2026, according to the report.

CAEP is a technical advisory body to the ICAO Council. It has 11 working groups and around 1,200 experts, and it develops recommendations, policies and guidance on the environmental effects of aviation, including aircraft noise, engine emissions, climate change and sustainable aviation fuel. Its scientific, technical and economic assessments underpin the international environmental standards that the ICAO Council adopts, which in turn shape requirements for airlines, aircraft makers and airports worldwide.

Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, director general of the General Civil Aviation Authority, described the re-election as an achievement and said it showed the value of investing in specialised national expertise that can contribute to international policy, particularly on environmental issues that require technical knowledge and continuous international coordination.

Saeed Al Suwaidi, the UAE's permanent representative to the ICAO Council and its first vice president, said CAEP's work forms an essential basis for the Council's decisions on environmental standards, and that the re-election reflected members' confidence in Al Balooshi's ability to steer the committee and turn differing views and technical assessments into sound recommendations.

Al Balooshi began working in aviation environmental affairs in 2006. She helped set up environment departments at Dubai Airports in 2008 and at the General Civil Aviation Authority in 2010, and has represented the UAE on CAEP since 2013, serving as vice chair before her first election as chair. She has also chaired the environment committee of the Arab Civil Aviation Organization, part of the Arab League.

The position gives the UAE, home to two of the world's largest long-haul carriers in Emirates and Etihad, a prominent voice in the international technical work on aviation's climate rules, including standards for emissions and the use of sustainable aviation fuel.