SriLankan enters partnership for an Aviation Academy

PARTNERSHIP: The International Aviation Academy of SriLankan Airlines has entered into a broad ranging partnership with the Asian Institute of Technology, a regional organisation of higher education based in Thailand.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Chief Executive Officer of SriLankan Airlines Peter Hill and President of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) Professor Said Irandoust recently in Colombo.

"This partnership is an important milestone for the International Aviation Academy, and we are certainly looking forward to a mutually beneficial relationship.

This 5-year agreement is only the beginning. We expect to continuously enhance the relationship between the two institutions and increase the level of co-operation in order to derive the maximum possible benefits for the IAA, the AIT, and especially our many students," Hill said.

Prof. Irandoust said: "I expect this to be a fruitful relationship and we will certainly do our best to make it a success.

We look forward to learning much from the IAA's educational activities in aviation, and we are confident that AIT can contribute to the goals of SriLankan Airlines. The field of Aviation Studies offers huge potential, and both AIT and IAA are regional and international institutions of higher learning. It will certainly be a win-win situation for all of us."

SriLankan Airlines, with a long tradition as the leading aviation industry training institution in Asia, recently launched the International Aviation Academy in Katunayake, Sri Lanka.

The IAA's objective is to cater to the manpower requirements of airlines, airports, travel agents, and other aviation industry organisations throughout Asia and beyond.

It also aims to play a pivotal role in the development of tertiary professional education in Sri Lanka and the South Asian region, by providing large numbers of young men and women with the necessary skills to embark on lucrative and successful careers in the industry in their own countries and overseas.

Recognised for its multinational, multi-cultural ethos, AIT operates as a self-contained international community at its campus located in Bangkok, and also operates satellite campuses in Indonesia and Vietnam.

With nearly 15,000 alumni from 79 countries, AIT has a student body of almost 2,000 students from 47 nations, and 112 faculty from 22 countries.