Austrian woman takes on key position for international aviation
Karin Puleo-Leodolter elected Chair of the European Directors General of the International Civil Aviation Conference (EUR/NAT-DGCA)
The Head of the Austrian Civil Aviation Authority at the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure (BMIMI), Karin Puleo-Leodolter, was unanimously elected Chair of the European Directors General Meeting (EUR/NAT-DGCA) of the International Civil Aviation Conference (ICAO) yesterday, Tuesday, in Paris. With two co-chairs from Bulgaria and Kazakhstan, this is the first all-female team - a first in the history of this body and a clear sign of the importance of women in civil aviation. The meeting was also chaired by Austria for the first time.
Federal Minister Peter Hanke congratulates the new Chairwoman: "This election is a special honour for Austrian aviation and shows that our path can also become a role model for international activities. The hard work of recent years has paid off - I wish Mrs Puleo-Leodolter and her team every success in this responsible task".
Representatives from 45 ICAO member states are taking part in the meeting, and a number of European and international organisations are also represented. The focus of the high-level meeting was on preparations for the ICAO's major plenary session in autumn this year, at which particular attention will be paid to topics such as ‘Strengthening aviation as an attractive employer, especially for women’. Austria has been very active in these areas for some time now and has anchored these priorities in its National Aviation Strategy 2040+.
Other important topics at the meeting included global efforts to decarbonise aviation and the presentation of a framework plan to better manage crises in aviation.