The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission (LACAC) have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost cooperation in civil aviation training and capacity building across the Latin American region.

The agreement was signed during the recent CVII Meeting of the Extended Executive Committee of LACAC in Guatemala by Ng Tee Chiou, deputy director general of CAAS, and Ingrid Azucena Zelaya Florian, president of LACAC and director general of the Civil Aviation Authority in Guatemala.

The enhanced MoU builds on a long-standing partnership between CAAS and LACAC, which first signed a cooperation agreement in 1998. Since then, the Singapore Aviation Academy (SAA), CAAS’s training arm, has trained more than 1,250 aviation professionals from Latin America and awarded close to 170 fellowships.

Under the new arrangement, CAAS will provide 75 fellowships over the next three years for aviation professionals from LACAC member states to attend specialised courses in Singapore. In addition, three in-region training programmes will be conducted in Latin America, tailored to regional needs in areas such as aviation safety, aviation security, air traffic services, and aviation management.

The MoU also introduces three new initiatives designed to strengthen talent development and leadership dialogue:

• Three scholarships under the Singapore-ICAO Next Generation of Aviation Professionals (NGAP) Scholarship Programme, supporting young aviation professionals aged 35 and below

• One run of the ICAO-SAA Directors-General of Civil Aviation Programme to be held in Latin America

• High-level and staff exchanges between Singapore and LACAC member states.

Chiou said: “The Latin American region is poised for rapid growth in the coming years. To realise its full potential, the availability of skilled manpower is critical. CAAS is providing more fellowships and in-region trainings to help support human talent development. Through this, we seek to step up our engagement of the region and better connect Latin America and Singapore.”

Florian added: “This agreement between LACAC and CAAS will allow us to continue strengthening our aeronautical technical capabilities in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

LACAC comprises 22 member states, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru.

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