Russia failed to secure a seat on the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) 36-nation governing council at the U.N. aviation agency’s assembly last weekend.
Russia Excluded from ICAO
The ICAO’s 42nd assembly took place in Montreal, Canada, on 27 September 2025.
Russia failed to win a seat on the council, falling short and receiving 87 votes when 93 were needed to reclaim the seat. The country’s plea was met by heavy opposition from the EU over its ongoing invasion and occupation of Ukraine.
And despite efforts from the capital, Moscow, to hold a repeat vote, the assembly has declined any requests to reopen the vote.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called Russia:
The most aggressive abuser and violator of international agreements and international norms
European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said:
It is unacceptable that a state which endangers the safety and security of air passengers and violates international rules should hold a seat on the organisation’s governing body, tasked with upholding those very rules
Past Turmoil
Russia was stripped of its previous seat on the ICAO council back in 2022 after illegally seizing foreign-leased, Western-made aircraft during its invasion of Ukraine, leading to losses of $10 billion for leasing companies.
Alongside this, the country has since violated many international standards, including GPS manipulation, interfering with commercial aircraft and bordering countries in the Baltic region facing Russian jamming earlier this year.
2022 saw many headlines relating to Russia, its airlines, its extensive airspace, and its relations with countries like the U.K., the U.S., Korea, and Bermuda, which probably contributed to its dismissal from the council.
Russia’s failure to regain its seat on the ICAO council demonstrates the global opposition to the country’s actions over the past few years. Despite having the largest airspace in the world, it still remains excluded from the decision-making processes for international air travel, and will remain that way until the next vote in three years’ time.
What are your thoughts on this decision from the ICAO? Let us know in the comments.
