IATA to grow presence in Singapore

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Government of Singapore have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to facilitate the further growth and development of IATA’s Regional Office for Asia-Pacific, which is located in Singapore.

The MoU was signed by Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO, and Raymond Lim, Singapore’s Minister for Transport.

“Singapore is IATA’s home in Asia-Pacific. From here we drive programs to support the safe and efficient development of aviation in the rapidly developing Asia-Pacific market. The support that we will receive from the Singapore government under today’s agreement will enhance Singapore’s role as a regional hub and position IATA well to deliver its leadership priorities in the region,” said Bisignani.

The IATA Regional Office in Singapore employs 80 staff. The office covers a range of IATA’s work including teams dedicated to industry advocacy, communications and technical issues such as safety, operations, infrastructure development and security. The Singapore office is also the hub for IATA’s financial systems in the region which process over $45 billion in settlements annually.

IATA’s presence in Singapore dates to 1969. Its responsibilities cover the Asia-Pacific region from Pakistan and India in the west, to Japan and South Korea in the north and New Zealand in the extreme south and east.

New aviation scholarships

IATA also established the Sir William Hildred and Guenter Eser Aviation Scholarships in cooperation with Nanyang Technological University (NTU).  The scholarships, named after former IATA Director Generals, will sponsor up to 12 individuals attending the newly developed Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) in aviation management at NTU, due to launch in 2012.

“These scholarships reflect our commitment to strengthen our Singapore presence and to working with local institutions to deliver regional leadership. They also reflect our commitment to developing the next generation of leaders for the aviation industry,” said Bisignani.

The Sir William Hildred Scholarship will provide tuition and support for Singaporean students and permanent residents, while the Gunter Eser Scholarship will provide support for non-Singapore nationals.

In September 2010, IATA signed a cooperation agreement with NTU to work together to support human capital development for the aviation industry. As a result of this agreement the two organisations will:

nFrom September 2011 offer an advanced management programme in air transport management

n    In 2012 offer an Executive MBA in aviation management

These programmes will enhance and support Singapore’s status as IATA’s most important training centre in the world in terms of both the number of students trained and the number of courses offered.

“Our vision is to make Singapore the platform for the development of a new generation of aviation executives leading Asia’s aviation growth. The two scholarships will have an important role in developing the future leaders of our industry,” said Bisignani.