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The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is calling for stronger measures to protect civilian aircraft from military threats, warning that the risk of weapons targeting civilian planes is increasing worldwide.
ICAO Secretary-General Juan Carlos Salazar told delegates at the 2026 World Overflight Risk Conference in Vallarta, Malta, that emerging military technologies — including long-range weapons systems, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), GNSS radio frequency interference, and advanced air defense systems — pose growing risks to civil aviation.
“We must now reach beyond the boundaries of aviation as we have known it,” Salazar said, adding that increasingly sophisticated weaponry is creating conditions in which civilian aircraft face a heightened risk of being targeted or caught in crossfire.
While praising the aviation industry’s ability to reroute flights and maintain operations during the recent Middle East crisis, Salazar said operational flexibility alone cannot address the underlying security threats posed by weapons systems.
He commended states and airspace users for measures taken to mitigate safety and security risks during the escalation in the Middle East, noting that more than 10 states partially or fully closed their airspace, significantly disrupting international air transport.
“This commitment to resilience, adaptation, safety and security is the foundation of our industry,” he said, calling for concrete steps to prevent civil aviation facilities, airports and aircraft from being targeted.
Salazar cited ICAO Assembly Resolution A42-4 and Article 3 bis of the Chicago Convention — which prohibit the use of weapons against civilian aircraft — as the legal basis for stronger protections. He said, however, that international law alone has proven insufficient as regional conflicts intensify.
Following ICAO guidance, Salazar urged states to take three immediate actions: rapidly share threat intelligence when activities pose risks to civilian aircraft; strengthen risk assessment and timely decision-making; and improve coordination between military and civilian authorities to prevent misidentification of civilian aircraft as military targets.
ICAO is finalizing a Global Crisis Management Framework to coordinate responses when civil aviation faces threats. Salazar said the reactive framework must be paired with proactive measures to prevent attacks.
The organization is also updating its Manual Concerning Safety Measures Relating to Military Activities and its Risk Assessment Manual for Civil Aircraft Operations Over or Near Conflict Zones, with a focus on improving how authorities, airlines and air navigation service providers assess threats from malicious activity.
Recent disruptions during the Middle East crisis demonstrated both the industry’s adaptability and the economic impact of operating in an increasingly militarized airspace environment. ICAO regional contingency frameworks have supported rerouting when airspace becomes unsafe, but officials said such measures are costly and temporary, not solutions to underlying security risks.
The two-day Malta conference, which opened April 21, brought together aviation officials and security experts from multiple regions to discuss implementation of safety protocols and information-sharing mechanisms. The Safer Skies initiative also serves as a framework for those discussions.
Salazar’s remarks mark one of ICAO’s most direct acknowledgments of growing risks to civil aviation arising from conflict zones, reflecting the organization’s core mission to maintain safe and secure international air travel amid rising geopolitical tensions.
Following the conference, Salazar met with Myriam Spiteri Debono to discuss global and regional developments affecting aviation, with a focus on the role of multilateral cooperation in addressing emerging challenges, including conflict-zone risks. He also commended Malta’s aviation sector.
Salazar was accompanied by Nicolas Rallo, director of ICAO’s European and North Atlantic Regional Office.
