India re-elected to International Civil Aviation Organisation Council

India has been re-elected to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council during the 36th ICAO Assembly session being held at Montreal. India has been elected consistently to the three-year term of ICAO Council since its inception.

The 36th Assembly commenced on 18th September 2007 and will conclude on 28th September 2007.

An Indian delegation headed by Ashok Chawla, secretary, ministry of civil aviation and including the director general of civil aviation, K Gohain, chairman, Airport Authority of India, K Ramalingam and the joint secretary, ministry of civil aviation, RK Singh, participated in the session.

Dr Naseem Zaidi is India''s representative in the ICAO.

Four commissions - technical, economic, legal and the administrative commissions - set up under the assembly assist the ICAO assembly. This year RK Singh, joint secretary, ministry of civil aviation has been elected the chairman of the Economic Commission.

ICAO, as an agency of the United Nations, codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. It has190 contracting states and its headquarters are located in the Quartier International of Montreal, Canada. The ICAO Council adopts standards and recommended practices concerning air navigation, prevention of unlawful interference, and facilitation of border-crossing procedures for international Civil Aviation.