30 June 2017 10:44 am
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. State Enterprise DevelopmentDeputy MinisterEran Wickramarathnewas the Chief Guest at the conference. Guests of Honour included SriLankan AirlinesChairman Ajith Dias and the National Carrier CEO Captain Suren Ratwatte, who was also the Keynote Speaker.
Important topics of discussion at the three-day conference at the Cinnamon Grand from 15 to 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.
SLACGeneral Manager Primal De Silva, and SLACDeputy General ManagerBuddhika Hewawasamgave 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.