SG, Arab region deepen civil aviation training ties

The MOU will introduce two key initiatives, offering scholarships and knowledge exchange.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and the Arab Civil Aviation Organisation (ACAO) have strengthened their CAAS-ACAO Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to deepen cooperation in civil aviation training.

The ACAO represents 22 Member States from the Middle East and African regions.

The MOU aims to facilitate the training of aviation professionals from ACAO Member States, equipping them with the skillsets to address emerging industry challenges and seize growth opportunities for the future.

The MOU will introduce two key initiatives. First, CAAS will offer three scholarships for young aviation professionals aged 35 and below from these states to participate in the Singapore-ICAO Next Generation of Aviation Professionals (NGAP) Scholarship Programme.

The six-week programme includes a two-week course at the Singapore Aviation Academy (SAA), the training arm of CAAS, a four-week attachment at an aviation entity in Singapore, and mentoring sessions with an SAA senior fellow.

Second, the ICAO-SAA Directors-General of Civil Aviation Programme will be conducted for the ACAO Member States to facilitate knowledge exchange, including in the area of aviation safety among ACAO Member States.

Moreover, under the MOU, CAAS will also provide 75 fellowships over the next three years for aviation professionals from ACAO Member States to attend SAA training programmes in Singapore. Three in-region trainings will also be conducted across key aviation fields, such as aviation safety and security, accident investigation, air navigation services, sustainability, and airport management.

CAAS and ACAO first signed an MOU to collaborate on civil aviation training in 2002. To date, CAAS has provided over 1,000 fellowships and trained close to 5,000 participants from ACAO Member States.