Sri Lanka should try to increase regional air connectivity which in turn will up the aviation businesses as well as promote tourism, said European Safety Agency (EASA) EU- South Asia Aviation Partnership Project 11 manager, Carlos Menendez.
He opined this at an interview with ‘Daily News Business’ in the sidelines of the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) hosted the 8th International Cooperation Forum (ICF) of the European Safety Agency (EASA) which will conclude on March 21 at the Hilton, Colombo. This is the first time Sri Lanka is hosting this event.
Aviation contributes significantly to the GDP of any country and increasing air activity will significantly contribute towards economic development. The three-day event held every three years saw the participation of over 100 foreign and local senior civil aviation delegates from the European Union, Asia Pacific and other parts of the world participating. He said that though there was an economic and political crisis in Sri Lanka they did not take that factor into consideration when awarding the host bid to Sri Lanka.
“The free and easy visa policy adopted by Sri Lanka was a major plus point to awarding the event to Sri Lanka.’
Hosting the 8th ICF will boost Sri Lanka’s Aviation Industry and provide opportunities for its professionals to gain important exposure to international best practices. Executive Director, EASA Luc Tytgat said that though many people think otherwise aviation is one of the few industries that emit less carbon.
“Innovative but expensive schemes like usage of hydrogen fuels and other similar initiatives are underway to further reduce the carbon footprint of the industry.”
He also said female participation in the industry is also going and said that India has the highest female pilot workforce in the world which is 18% and second is Scotland which is at 8%. The ICF, first held in 2008, is an international platform for aviation authorities and regional organizations interested in regional cooperation and the EASA system. It provides an opportunity to share experiences and best practices, discussing the latest developments in safety and environmental standards, and promotion of safe and sustainable aviation worldwide.
Shirajiv Sirimane