Azerbaijan to chair Regional Air Navigation Safety Coordination Platform for Europe and Asia (SOCEA)

The General Assembly of the Regional Air Navigation Safety Coordination Platform for Europe and Asia (SOCEA) has been held in Almaty, Report informs referring to the press service of the "Azeraeronavigation" Air Traffic Department.

This important international forum brought together air navigation service providers (ANSPs) from various countries in Europe and Central Asia to develop joint solutions in the areas of flight safety, air traffic flow coordination, and digital integration of regional airspace.

Azerbaijan was represented at the event by the "Azeraeronavigation" ATM (AZANS), a subsidiary of CJSC "Azerbaijan Airlines", which is part of AZCON Holding. AZANS continues its consistent efforts to expand intergovernmental cooperation and strengthen our country"s role in the architecture of Eurasian air navigation.

At the General Assembly in Almaty, the Director of the "Azeraeronavigation" ATM was elected President of SOCEA, and the chairmanship of the organization was officially transferred from Türkiye to Azerbaijan. This step once again confirmed the international recognition of Azerbaijan"s leading role in shaping a safe, harmonized, and technologically advanced airspace at the Eurasian level.

The SOCEA platform was established in 2023 on the initiative of Azerbaijan and Türkiye and, since the beginning of its activities, has made a significant contribution to the alignment of flight safety strategies, the implementation of digital solutions, as well as the development and standardization of air traffic management processes at the regional level.

Currently, SOCEA includes air navigation service providers from Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan. This cooperation creates a unified approach to ensuring safety and efficiency in the region"s airspace.

The development of SOCEA and the subsequent accession of airports to the platform is of vital importance for strengthening the global transport chain. This cooperation, supported within the framework of the Organization of Turkic States, will pave the way for the implementation of the "Europe–Central Asia Digital Sky" (E-CADS) project.

This initiative, by ensuring mutual integration of air traffic management between Europe and Asia, will enhance the safety, regularity, and sustainability of flights.

Azerbaijan"s airspace is one of the main transit corridors between East and West and serves more than 200,000 flights annually. AZANS will continue its activities to strengthen international partnerships and implement modern solutions in air traffic management.