Panama - September 24th, 2018 - The Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Colombia (Aerocivil) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to express the will of both institutions to join efforts to develop the aviation industry in Colombia.

The document signed between ALTA and Aerocivil on September 18, in Fortaleza, during the ICAO World Aviation Forum, establishes a cooperation framework on management, technical and operational fields, as well as knowledge and best practices exchange for the modernization of the systems, operations and maintenance of the civil aviation in Colombia.

The cooperation agenda involves planning and institutional strengthening, training, human resources management, operational safety, transport and air policy, airport management, environment and technical assistance in matters related to CORSIA.

"One of the fundamental axes in which Colombia has worked is to seek strategic alliances that lead to having a harmonized aviation, especially when our country is an aviation benchmark in Latin America, it is for this reason that the signing of this agreement with ALTA will help us to have better practices in the management and regulation of our air sector in the areas of connectivity and operational safety", explained Juan Carlos Salazar, Director of Civil Aeronautics of Colombia.

"This agreement allows us to work more closely, share best practices, information and experts to develop joint actions that boost the growth of the aviation industry in Colombia. Passengers traffic in Colombia has multiplied by 3 times in the 12 years, going from 12 million to nearly 36 million passengers transported in the last year. This is one of the highest growth rates in the region, along with Chile and Peru. It is expected that by 2030 traffic in Colombia will multiply by 3, exceeding 100 million passengers per year and a per capita travel rate of more than 1 trip per year", said Luis Felipe de Oliveira, ALTA Executive Director.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Colombia has as a vision for 2030 be prepared to mobilize 100 million passengers and double cargo transportation in a clear, competitive, connected, safe and sustainable institutional environment, supported by a renewed infrastructure, a strengthened industry and a human talent of excellence.

ALTA has among its objectives to identify the main challenges of the aviation industry and provide recommendations and actions that achieve sustainable solutions in the region, as well as to collaborate with the entire value chain of the industry, governments and other associations to achieve a safer, more efficient and sustainable aviation.