Turkey to run for ICAO Council seat in 2026

Turkey will contest a seat on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council during the extraordinary general assembly scheduled for November 19-20, 2026, in Montreal. Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that Turkey will run as a candidate for the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC). The Council's membership is expanding from 36 to 40, with four new seats to be filled.

Uraloğlu highlighted significant growth in Turkey's aviation sector over the last 24 years. Since 2002, the number of active airports has increased from 26 to 58, with two more under construction. Annual passenger numbers rose from 34.5 million in 2002 to over 247 million in 2025. Additionally, the total number of aircraft grew by 424% to reach 2,562 by September 2026, while cargo capacity increased nearly tenfold to 2.9 million kilograms.