Türkiye has been appointed to the first-term chairmanship of the Executive Board established as part of SOCEA’s General Assembly meeting.

The General Assembly meeting of SOCEA (Regional Coordination Platform for Air Navigation Safety), which aims to enhance cooperation among air navigation service providers (ANSPs) operating in Europe and Asia, was held in Gaziantep.

As part of the General Assembly meeting, significant steps were taken to strengthen the institutional structure of SOCEA, which was established through an agreement signed on 18 August 2023 between the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMI) and AZANS, a unit within Azerbaijan Airlines CJSC (AZAL), and the Executive Board was formally established.

The first-term management of the Platform’s Executive Board was also determined. The Platform has a total of seven members: DHMI, AZANS, Uzbekistan’s ANSP Uzaeronavigation, Kyrgyzstan’s ANSP Kyrgyzaeronavigatsia, RSE Kazaeronavigatsia affiliated with the Civil Aviation Committee of the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan’s ANSP Tajikairnavigation, and Hungary’s ANSP HungaroControl.

Türkiye was appointed to the first-term chairmanship of the Executive Board, which was created to ensure continuity in the implementation of General Assembly decisions and to strengthen the link between strategic direction and technical expertise. This development was regarded as an important milestone in placing the organization’s governance structure on a more effective and sustainable footing.

With the Executive Board becoming operational, SOCEA’s institutional governance and decision-making processes have been strengthened, while an important foundation has been established for increasing internal coordination and translating the determined strategic goals into practice.

Having expanded with the participation of various countries in the region and become an important platform promoting cooperation among air navigation service providers, SOCEA’s main objectives include enhancing air traffic safety, optimizing airspace management, and harmonizing regional air navigation practices.