Riyadh, February 17, 2022, SPA -- The Nineteenth Meeting of the Middle East Air Navigation Planning and Implementation Regional Group and The Ninth Meeting of the Middle East Regional Aviation Safety Group, organized by the General Authority of Civil Aviation, in cooperation with the Regional Office of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in the Middle East, was concluded today in Riyadh. The meetings took place with the participation of officials of civil aviation authorities in the member states, ICAO representatives, the Arab Civil Aviation Organization, the International Air Transport Association in the Middle East, as well as several international aviation industry organizations. The meetings, which started on February 14, 2022, resulted in the election of Saudi Arabia as the Chairman of the Regional Aviation Safety Group for the Middle East of the International Civil Aviation Organization by the Member States. During the meetings, the participants discussed several issues, including the latest international developments in air navigation, the outcomes of the World Safety Conference 2021, the impact of the Corona pandemic on the aviation sector, the outputs of regional work teams in air navigation, airports, environment, and meteorology, in addition to the preparations for the Middle East region to manage traffic flow for the 2022 World Cup event in Qatar. The Kingdom also participated in several working papers, including its current practice in the protection of aviation systems, where the Middle East countries and the participating organizations were briefed on the latest developments of infrastructure projects for air navigation and search and rescue systems, the latest environmental sustainability models for airports, besides that various working papers submitted during the meetings. The participants recommended ensuring the continuous and consistent development of international civil aviation in the Middle East and with neighboring regions per the international rules and recommendations issued by ICAO and the global air navigation plan for air navigation systems and air traffic management and facilitating and coordinating the implementation of the provision of air navigation services to ensures safety, regularity, and efficiency in the Middle East. The international civil aviation sector performance is based on the principle of cooperation between the contracting states with the organization, where the contracting members implement their international obligations to enhance the safety and efficiency of the aviation sector to achieve sustainable growth in an integrated manner among the member states in the Middle East as well as between the neighboring regions. -- SPA 21:26 LOCAL TIME 18:26 GMT 0029 www.spa.gov.sa/w1693109