IATA Global Training Partner Conference 2017 in Colombo
Colombo
June 28, 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.
Hon. Eran
Wickramarathne, Deputy Minister of State Enterprise Development, was the Chief
Guest at the conference. Guests of Honor included Chairman of SriLankan
Airlines Ajith Dias, and the CEO of the National Carrier Captain Suren Ratwatte,
who was also the Keynote Speaker.
Important topics
of discussion at the three-day conference at the Cinnamon Grand from 15-17 May
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.
The 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 (www.srilankanaviationcollege.com), 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.
Formed in 2013 to
merge the diverse training units of SriLankan Airlines that had developed over
more than three decades of experience of the National Carrier, SLAC is located
at Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake. It consists of six
faculties – Travel & Tourism; Airport Services; Cargo & Dangerous Goods
Regulations; Image Consultancy; Aircraft Maintenance Avionics; and Aircraft
Maintenance Mechanicals. SLAC is scheduled to launch franchise operations shortly
in Pakistan and Seychelles. Apart from this SLAC has plans to open franchisee
branches in the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Central provinces in the
country.
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
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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