SriLankan brings focus of global airline industry to Sri Lanka | Daily News

SriLankan brings focus of global airline industry to Sri Lanka

SriLankan Aviation College officials and the delegates of IATA Global Training Partner Conference 2017

SriLankan Airlines and the SriLankan Aviation College placed Sri Lanka firmly in the centre of the international air travel industry’s focus, with the successful hosting of the industry’s premier annual training-oriented event, the IATA Global Training Partner Conference 2017, in Colombo for the first time.

More than 150 delegates from 50 countries participated in the conference, which is organized each year by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Global air transport is one of the world’s fastest growing industries, and many of the industrywide activities and initiatives are coordinated by IATA.

This conference consisted of IATA training experts from all over the world and provided a platform to discuss and exchange ideas on emerging trends and opportunities in travel and tourism, aviation, and air cargo.

The conference was hosted by the SriLankan Aviation College (SLAC) and sponsored by SriLankan Airlines.

SriLankan Holidays, the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, the Bank of Ceylon and Sri Lanka Insurance were co-sponsors of the event.

Deputy Minister of Finance Eran Wickramarathne was the chief guest at the conference. Guests of honour included SriLankan Airlines Chairman Ajith Dias, and CEO Captain Suren Ratwatte. Captain Ratwatte was also the keynote speaker.

Important topics of discussion at the recent three-day conference at the Cinnamon Grand included Major Developments in Global Airline Training, the Future Outlook of the Industry, Role of Social Media in Airline Training, Use of Virtual Reality, Changes in Global Tourism and IATA’s Initiatives for the Industry.

The conference included a gala dinner and awards ceremony and participants also enjoyed tours of Colombo and Kandy with a visit to the Pinnawela Millennium Elephant Foundation.

General Manager of SLAC Primal De Silva and the Deputy General Manager of SLAC Buddhika Hewawasam gave presentations that described Sri Lanka’s rapid rise as a global centre of airline industry training over the last several years, driven by SLAC, the training arm of SriLankan Airlines.

An Associate Member in IATA’s prestigious TRAINAIR PLUS Programme, SLAC is currently in the midst of a major enhancement of its facilities in Katunayake, where it provides services for over 600 students at any given time, including a large number of foreign students.

SLAC is among the handful of institutions in Asia which has been granted highest industry standards. It is certified by European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Civil Aviation Authorities in Sri Lanka, Maldives and Pakistan.

SLAC has academic partnerships with the University of Colombo and University of Moratuwa and it has industry partnerships with the Travel Agents Association of Sri Lanka (TAASL) and Charted Institute of Transport and Logistics(CILT). 

 


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