On 4 July 2025, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) presented “Celestial Flight”, a specially commissioned sculpture, to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to commemorate Singapore’s 60^th anniversary of independence and its long-standing partnership with ICAO to advance civil aviation globally. Crafted by Singaporean artist, Ms Delia Prvački, ‘Celestial Flight’ celebrates enduring friendships that transcend borders and cultures, and human connections forged by a timeless rhythm of flights through the infinite sky. Mr Edmund Cheng, Chairman of CAAS and Mr Han Kok Juan, Director-General of CAAS, presented the sculpture to Mr Salvatore Sciacchitano, President of the ICAO Council, in a special ceremony attended by ICAO Council Representatives and other dignitaries from ICAO Member States. It is displayed at the ICAO Building in Montreal, Canada.  

2         Singapore joined ICAO in 1966, a year after its independence. Since then, it has grown to become a major air hub and a key player in the international civil aviation ecosystem. Singapore has been a member of the ICAO Council, its policy and decision-making governing body, since 2003 and a member of the Air Navigation Commission (ANC), responsible for Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and Procedures for Air Navigation Services (PANS), since 2006, including serving as President of the ANC in 2010 and 2011. Singapore currently also serves on 17 ICAO panels and close to 100 expert bodies, holding 21 leadership positions.

3         Singapore is also a longtime partner of ICAO in capacity building and human capital development. The Singapore Aviation Academy, the training arm of CAAS, has awarded over 9,500 fellowships and scholarships and trained more than 160,000 aviation professionals from over 200 States and territories through flagship programmes like the ICAO-Singapore Directors-General of Civil Aviation Programmes and the ICAO-Singapore Developing Countries Training Programme.

4         A recent example of Singapore’s contribution to ICAO is the revised Obstacle Limitation Surfaces (OLS) SARPs, which were adopted by the ICAO Council on 28 March 2025. These revised height restriction requirements around airports will benefit all States around the world, as it enables more airspace around aerodromes to be freed up for other purposes while ensuring aviation safety. The revised ICAO SARPs will come into effect internationally from August 2025. 

5         A Singaporean, CAAS officer Mohamed Fadzil Bin Mohamed Jakaria, has chaired the ICAO international Task Force that reviewed the OLS since 2017 and played an instrumental role in developing the new requirements and building international consensus for its adoption. More background information on Fadzil and his role in the ICAO OLS Review Task Force is provided at Annex A.