Source: ICAO
From left to right: Mr Toshiyuki Onuma, ICAO Council President-Elect, Mr. Salvatore Sciacchitano, ICAO Council President, and Mr. Juan Carlos Salazar, ICAO Secretary General.
The ICAO Council, the 36-member governing body of the International Civil Aviation Organization, has elected Toshiyuki Onuma of Japan as its President for a three-year term, beginning 1 January 2026.
He succeeds Salvatore Sciacchitano of Italy, who has held the position for two consecutive terms since 2020.
“The President of the Council is central to uniting ICAO’s 193 Member States around our shared vision of air transport for all by 2050, with zero fatalities and net-zero carbon emissions, and driving the cooperation, innovation and talent required to realize that vision,” said President Sciacchitano as he congratulated the incoming Council President on his election. “Consensus-building is a crucial pillar for the success of multilateralism and must always be pursued by the President.”
Toshiyuki Onuma is currently the Representative of Japan on the ICAO Council. With over 20 years of experience, he has shaped national and international civil aviation policy, including leadership of decarbonization efforts. Onuma has held senior roles such as Senior Deputy Director-General of the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) and Assistant Vice-Minister for International Aviation.
He holds an LL.B. from the University of Tokyo and an LL.M. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.