Dublin and Montreal, October 2026 — ECAC’s Legal Working Group (LEGWG) (pictured above) held its 58th meeting in Dublin and online on 1 October, hosted by the Irish Aviation Authority, ahead of the 40th Session of the ICAO Legal Committee (LC/40) taking place in Montreal from 26 to 30 October.
The LEGWG meeting focused on preparations for LC/40, including a review of working papers and exchanges on international aviation law matters. Participants were joined remotely, for a dedicated part of the meeting, by Michael Gill, Director of ICAO’s Legal Affairs and External Relations Bureau, who presented outcomes from the fourth ICAO Civil Aviation Legal Advisers Forum (CALAF/4), including initiatives to strengthen professional training and knowledge-sharing among aviation legal experts, and provided an overview of preparations for LC/40.
At the subsequent ICAO Legal Committee session in Montreal on 26-30 October, discussions covered a broad range of legal issues, including uncrewed aircraft operations, satellite-based navigation systems, cyber security, data protection and the implementation of international air law instruments.
A key outcome was the Committee’s unanimous endorsement of a revised general work programme, placing legal aspects of uncrewed aircraft operations and global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) as its first and second priorities. The Committee also agreed to include legal aspects of artificial intelligence governance as a new work area, subject to further consideration by the ICAO Council.
The session also endorsed recommendations concerning Article 12 of the Chicago Convention and supported the conclusions of the legal review of Article 15.
Laurent Noël (Switzerland), a longstanding member of ECAC’s Legal Working Group, was elected fourth vice-chairperson of the ICAO Legal Committee, recognising his extensive experience in international aviation law. The Legal Working Group warmly congratulates him on his election.
