![](https://nbaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Juan-Carlos-Salazar-ICAO.jpg)
March 4, 2021
The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recently appointed Juan Carlos Salazar as the new secretary general for a three-year term, beginning Aug. 1, a decision applauded by NBAA.
Salazar most recently served as the director general of civil aviation of Colombia at Aerocivil, where he was in charge of 72 airports and also the sole air navigation service provider in Colombia. He previously served as CEO for the Colombian Civil Aviation Organization and was a senior advisor to the Civil Aviation Authority of the United Arab Emirates.
“NBAA is pleased to welcome Secretary General Salazar to ICAO’s leadership,” said Doug Carr, NBAA’s vice president of regulatory and international affairs. “Mr. Salazar brings a broad range of regulatory and standards experience to this position and we look forward to working with him in his new role.”
Salazar has master’s degrees in public administration and air and space law. He is multilingual, speaking Spanish, French, English and Arabic.
Salazar replaces out-going Secretary General Dr. Fang Lui of China, who served in the role since 2015. In 2016, Dr. Liu served as keynote speaker to open the Asian Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (ABACE), cohosted by NBAA and the Asian Business Aviation Association, in partnership with the Shanghai Airport Authority.
“Dr. Liu has been an advocate for all segments of air transport, and has offered support to business aviation throughout her tenure, participating in key events and welcoming greater engagement with ICAO,” said Kurt Edwards, director general of the International Business Aviation Council. “We wish her well in her next leadership steps and look forward to collaborating with Mr. Salazar in his new capacity at ICAO.”
ICAO is comprised of 193 member states. The ICAO Council is a permanent body of the organization, responsible to the assembly. Thirty-six member states are elected to serve three-year terms on the council.