29 Dec 2010 , Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Gulf Centre for Aviation Studies (GCAS), the training subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), has successfully sponsored its first Airport Council International (ACI) Fund seminar in support of the development of the aviation industry in developing nations’ airports.

The ACI Fund was created to aid developing countries’ airports in training their executives on operational excellence. Airports from Iran, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Thailand and China are amongst those who participated in the course led by Victor De Barrena, Director of ACI and Head of Global Training and Human Resources, that focused on Annex 14 of the International Civil Aviation Organisation regulations on Safety Management and Emergency Readiness for all airports globally.

In this regard, Omar bin Ghaleb, Deputy Director General, General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), stated: “The UAE is committed to support the development of the aviation industry worldwide through our strategic partners such ADAC and GCAS. We at the GCAA appreciate the commitment of ADAC and GCAS in positioning the UAE as a leader in international aviation best practices.”

From his side, Dr. Othman Khoury, Deputy General Manager at GCAS, said: “It has been an honor to host an ACI fund seminar here at GCAS. This initiative is part of ADAC and GCAS’s commitment towards supporting the airport industry in developing African and Asia Pacific nations’ airports together with the GCAA. GCAS would like to take this opportunity to thank our guest speakers from ACI fund, CIFAL Atlanta and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research for their support in making this happen.”

The three-day seminar has enabled the executives to share and discuss their experiences on the subject while being coached on the amendments of the ICAO regulations. It is expected that the learning will help in raising standards at the participating airports.

GCAS, as one of ACI’s global training hubs, is now one of the leading aviation training centres of world-class calibre. Last November, the centre has won the accolade of “Training and Education Provider of the year 2010 of the Middle East Region” during the Aviation Business Awards 2010 ceremony held at the Emirates Palace. By hosting the ACI Fund seminar, GCAS has further contributed to the General Civil Aviation Authority’s efforts in actively raising aviation operational standards in developing nations within the Arab Civil Aviation Commission and the African Civil Aviation Commission.