IATA Honours its 2019 Top Performing Global Training Partners

New Delhi, April 17, 2019: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced its 2019 Premier Circle winners as well as its regional top performing training partners as part of its prestigious recognition program. More than 450 IATA global training partners are evaluated on select criteria, such as the quality of training delivered determined by the examination pass rate, the number of students trained, and many other factors. Also measured is the growth in enrolments vis-à-vis the previous year. The excellence of these training partners contributes significantly to the development of the next generation of aviation professionals. The 2019 Premier Circle winners comprises (in alphabetical order): ??Akbar Academy of Airline Studies, India Alhind Academy, India ATNS Aviation Training Academy, South Africa Butterfly Training France, France DGM, The Netherlands Fraport AG, Germany IFMA - Institut de Formation aux Métiers de l'Aérien, France IITC-India International Trade Centre, India Japan Aircargo Forwarders Association (JAFA), Japan Saudi Academy of Civil Aviation, Saudi Arabia Speedwings Academy for Aviation Services, India Turkish Aviation Academy, Turkey Vision Academy, India The regional winners adhere to similar selection criteria of Premier Circle at their respective region’s level and include training partners from Africa and Middle East, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, China and North Asia, Europe, and South Asia. The 2019 Premier Circle and Regional top performers received their plaques and certificates during award ceremonies at the Global Training Partner Conference (GTPC) in New Delhi, India on 11 April 2019. ‘’IATA congratulates all winners for their success and thanks them for contributing to the professional development of more than 100,000 participants, thereby enhancing the skill levels of the global aviation talent pool,” said Stephanie Siouffi, IATA’s Director of Training. “By working together with our partners to train aviation professionals, the industry will be better prepared for the expected doubling of demand for air travel over the next two decades. “ This year’s GTPC had an attendance of over 280 training professionals representing 160 companies from 60 countries. The inaugural session included a video address delivered by Suresh Prabhu, India’s Minister for Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation, and a keynote address by Mr. Ashwani Lohani, Chairman and Managing Director, Air India. The key topics discussed during the event include addressing the skills gap, a panel discussion on customer service, women in aviation, as well as the future of travel and tourism. “We are delighted to bring the GTPC to India for the very first time. India is expected to be the third largest passenger market by 2024-2025. Besides having the infrastructure in place to support the expected growth in travel demand, there will also be a need for skilled human resources. We hope to support this demand for training through our network of over 100 training partners’ locations in India,” said Conrad Clifford, IATA’s Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific. “The aviation industry is at the cusp of a change in India. It is evolving, and we foresee a significant growth in aviation jobs. This will cause the demand for skilled manpower to go up more than ever before. Over the years Bird Group has endeavoured to undertake initiatives aimed at skilling through Bird Academy and is proud to have created suitable jobs for thousands in aviation. We provide year-round resources and coaching to foster and engage students in aviation education and encourage them to pursue a career in it. We invited IATA in 2018 to organize the conference in India and are honoured to be hosting this year's IATA’s Global Training Partners Conference where we can share our successes, challenges and ideas in training and personnel development with professionals from around the world and learn from their best practices,” said Radha Bhatia, Chairperson, Bird Group, which is a sponsor of the GPTC.