APPOINTMENTS FOLLOW ECAC NOMINATION AT MARSEILLE MEETING

The JAA Training Organisation (JAA TO), headquartered in Schiphol-Rijk, the Netherlands, has announced the appointment of two new members to its Foundation Board: Mr Ivan Šćekić, Director of the Civil Aviation Agency of Montenegro, and Mr Maksim Et’hemaj, Executive Director of the Albanian Civil Aviation Authority. The official appointments follow the conclusion of statutory and legal processes with JAA TO and the relevant Dutch entities, subsequent to the candidates’ nomination at the 166th Meeting of Directors General of Civil Aviation of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC), held on 19 May 2026 in Marseille, France.

The two appointments complete a Foundation Board that now comprises Mr Charles Pace, Director General Civil Aviation Transport Malta, who serves as Board Chair, and Ms Ana V. da Mata, a member of the Board of the Portuguese Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC), alongside the two newly appointed members. Per JAA TO’s statutes, the organisation must operate with a minimum of three Board Members, all of whom are appointed by the ECAC Coordinating Committee and nominated from among the Directors General of ECAC Member States.

IVAN ŠĆEKIĆ — MONTENEGRO

Ivan Šćekić brings more than 15 years of professional experience in aviation, built through a career at the Civil Aviation Agency of Montenegro, the country’s independent regulator and oversight authority for the aviation sector. He was appointed Director of the Civil Aviation Agency of Montenegro in 2024 and also serves as a member of the National Civil Aviation Safety Board and the National Search and Rescue Board, with participation in the work of the National Airspace Management Committee. He is noted for his particular commitment to the professional development of aviation personnel and the strengthening of human capacity within the civil aviation sector.

MAKSIM ET’HEMAJ — ALBANIA

Maksim Et’hemaj brings over three decades of distinguished experience across air traffic management, aviation regulation and international cooperation. Since December 2021 he has served as Executive Director of the Albanian Civil Aviation Authority, leading the strategic transformation of the organisation and supporting significant progress in Albania’s aviation oversight system. His international profile includes serving as Vice-Chair of the NewPENS Governance Group at EUROCONTROL from 2018 to 2021 and as President of the Albanian Air Traffic Controllers’ Association, representing Albania in the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Associations (IFATCA). He is a committed advocate for performance-based navigation, cross-border collaboration and safety oversight reform.