ICAO Aviation Security Week took place in Astana on 20–22 October 2026, the first time Kazakhstan has hosted it. The event was organised by the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan, with the Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Committee. The venue was the Palace of Independence, where the sessions and the exhibition shared a Congress Hall seating 3,082. The theme was "Secure Skies in a Complex World: Advancing Security in Aviation for All".
We have already covered part of the outcomes: ICAO's management service agreement with Astana airport, the extension of the memorandum between the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, Kazakhstan's candidacy for the ICAO Council, the regional coordination group on drones and conflicts, and air links with the United States. This article gathers the remaining themes of the week that did not make separate news items.
How the week was organised
20 October: opening, the global state of aviation security, audit findings, ICAO's Global Aviation Security Plan (GASeP). 21 October: air cargo and mail security, cyber security, the changing airspace, keeping security measures up to date. 22 October: workforce and security culture, preparation for ICAO's third High-level Conference on Aviation Security (HLCAS/3), planned for 2027, and a closing session titled "Messages from Astana".
The exhibition featured companies in screening, training and identity: CASRA, Entrust, IAI Industrial Systems with IXLA, NJA Information Technology, Nuctech and Redline Assured Security. The platinum sponsors were Almaty International Airport and Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport in Astana. The official airlines of the week were Air Astana, SCAT and Turkish Airlines.
Kazakhstan's aviation security indicator, 95.7%, was cited in the materials of the week. It relates to aviation security (AVSEC), not to flight safety and not to the USOAP programme. It is not a new audit result: the figure was reported earlier, in April 2026.
Equipment: what security costs
On 22 October a panel on AVSEC modernisation discussed the cost of ownership rather than procurement. According to the ministry, participants discussed operating costs, equipment maintenance, staff training and prioritising investment in risk reduction. A Cargolux representative pointed to the need to improve cargo systems already in operation. An ECAC representative argued for mutual recognition of equipment testing.
These are speakers' positions, not new rules, a tender or an investment programme. Procurement, budgets, equipment models, regulatory decisions and timelines have not been named.
Workforce: how many people and what they are taught
On 22 October a panel on NGAP (ICAO's Next Generation of Aviation Security Professionals programme) covered training and retention of specialists. Participants discussed competency-based training, mentoring, retaining staff and professional mobility. Deputy Minister of Transport Talgat Lastayev said the industry in Kazakhstan employs more than 23,000 people, including over 3,500 aviation security specialists. This is an official's statement; there are no independent statistics.
A separate session on 21 October addressed women and the human factor. Participants discussed mentoring, competencies, professional communities and opportunities for young specialists in digitalisation and cyber security. A programme in the UAE was cited as a foreign example, not as a new programme for Kazakhstan.
The training budget, intake, targets and timelines have not been named.
Cyber threats and information sharing
Cyber threats were discussed in two separate sessions, on 20 and 21 October. The topics were threat forecasting, information sharing between states, organisations' self-assessment, cyber attacks and cargo security. The speeches belong to different panels and should not be read as a single position.
The discussion does not mean new mandatory standards have been adopted. Joint projects and timelines have not been announced.
Drones and conflicts in the region
On 19 October the aviation security coordination group met in Astana. Aviation authorities of eight countries took part: Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia. Russia attended as an observer. The agenda covered risks to civil aircraft, drone threats, detection of improvised explosive devices, information exchange, preparation for ICAO audits and priorities for 2027. On 22 October the group's results were presented at the "Road to HLCAS/3" session.
Audit preparation: FAA IASA and USOAP
During the visit of ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar to the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan, Michael Daniel said that after the FAA IASA process is completed the administration intends to return to USOAP preparation. Nicolas Rallo stressed the need for documentary verification of requirements implementation by certificate and licence holders.
This is not confirmation that IASA has been completed, that Category 1 has been granted or that USOAP has been passed. The report is undated and there is no independent confirmation of the meeting. Audit dates, the FAA outcome and a corrective action plan have not been named.
The 2050 master plan
Olzhas Bektenov's meeting with the ICAO Secretary General covered development of Kazakhstan's civil aviation master plan to 2050 (CAMP-2050). The document is still in development: it has not been approved, and its timeline, budget, executors and project list have not been named. It was previously reported that the Prime Minister instructed that the master plan be approved by the end of 2026.
The diplomatic track: Canada, AFCAC, LACAC
On the sidelines of the week Kazakhstan held several meetings with international partners.
On 20 October Nurlan Sauranbayev and Lisa Setlakwe discussed airport regulation and the development of small aviation. The sides expressed interest in cooperation.
On 20 October Talgat Lastayev and Jaime Binder discussed further work on a memorandum between the Eurasian Civil Aviation Conference and LACAC (the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission). According to the information provided, the memorandum has not been signed. The Eurasian conference should not be confused with the European ECAC.
On 22 October Nurlan Sauranbayev and Adefunke Adeyemi, Secretary General of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), discussed cooperation, the possibility of opening air services, experience sharing and professional training.
In all three cases these were talks. Flights, countries, cities, carriers, documents and timelines have not been named.
What has not been announced
Procurement of screening equipment, budgets and timelines. Training programmes and funding. New mandatory cyber security standards. Dates of IASA and USOAP audits. The approval date of CAMP-2050. Signed documents with Canada, AFCAC and LACAC.
Our assessment: the week showed where the attention of Kazakhstan's regulators will be concentrated in the coming years: cost of equipment ownership, workforce, cyber threats and preparation for international audits. But according to the reports of the week these are areas of discussion, not decisions with budgets and timelines. The scale of the effect will become clear when procurement, training programmes and audit dates appear. This is flycentralasia's conclusion, not a statement by Kazakhstan's Ministry of Transport or ICAO.
What businesses can do. Screening equipment suppliers and cargo operators can build proposals around cost of ownership, maintenance and integration, not just equipment price. Training centres and airport HR teams can take into account the scale of the industry (over 23,000 employees according to an official) and the demand for competency-based training. Airlines and certified organisations can start collecting documentary evidence of requirements implementation. Route analysts can note the interest in Africa but should not plan capacity until specific destinations appear.