ENAC Director General, Alessio Quaranta elected as President of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC), a pan-European organisation that brings together 44 Member States

The European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC), Europe’s largest and longest-standing aviation organisation, has a new President: the Director General of Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC), Alessio Quaranta was elected by acclamation as President of ECAC during the 39th Plenary (Triennial) Session of ECAC, which was organised by videoconference due to the restrictions related to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Quaranta succeeds to Ingrid Cherfils, the Director for Strategic Development and Management in the Swedish Transport Agency, who has been serving as ECAC President since 2015.

The new ECAC President, Alessio Quaranta said: “Over the last ten years we have laid down new foundations for the modernisation and transformation of ECAC, during unprecedented times both inside and outside the organisation. But all these would not have been possible without the active involvement, excellent coordination, and constant determination of Ingrid Cherfils, the former President of ECAC. She exerted a strong influence in fostering a culture of cooperation, transparency and collective responsibility, to promote safe, efficient, and sustainable civil aviation in the European region and internationally, especially through the outreach activities carried out during her mandate. And I will continue to strengthen these relationships with our international partners”.

Within ECAC, Alessio Quaranta already held, over the last few years, the role of Vice President and Focal Point for Facilitation and Security, dealing with matters of aviation security and cyber security in civil aviation, prevention of acts of unlawful interference, as well as immigration, passengers with reduced mobility, and health matters. In addition, Alessio Quaranta, held the role of interim Focal Point for Economic matters until December 2020, with particular reference to the management of initiatives relating to the economic and financial impact of the COVID-19.

The priorities of Alessio Quaranta in exercising his role as the ECAC President will be to strengthen the pan-European dimension of the organisation, to support all ECAC Member States in developing and promoting harmonised positions and solutions, as well as to encourage the development of emerging technologies, with particular reference to urban air mobility and climate change. “For the years to come, we must continue to exert our combined efforts to address the issues and challenges affecting the European civil aviation sector, in relation to safety, security, facilitation, environment, economic matters, unmanned aircraft systems and new technologies, including artificial intelligence”,concluded Alessio Quaranta.