Madrid, 17 March 2026 — The 44th Special Plenary Session of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC/44) and an ad hoc meeting of Directors General of Civil Aviation were held in Madrid on 17 March 2026, hosted by the Spanish Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility.
Opening the Special Plenary Session, Benito Núñez, Spanish Secretary General for Air and Maritime Transport, highlighted the vital role of civil aviation in connectivity, economic growth and international cooperation.
During the session, Directors General adopted amendments to the ECAC Constitution concerning the procedure for the election of Officers of the Conference.
At the ad hoc DGCA meeting, Directors General applied these new amendments to elect Chems Chkioua (France) and Øyvind Ek (Norway) as new members to the ECAC Coordinating Committee.
Discussions at the DGCA meeting explored key developments, priorities and challenges facing European civil aviation, alongside updates on ECAC’s ongoing work, including the ECAC Common Evaluation Process (CEP) of security equipment, facilitation capacity-building activities and progress on Member States’ signature of the Convention on the Bureau of ECAC.
Spain’s Director General of Civil Aviation, David Benito, also offered valuable insights into the national aviation framework and the sector’s important role in supporting the country’s connectivity and economic vitality.
We extend our sincere appreciation to the Ministry for its generous hospitality and for hosting this important meeting.