OREANDA-NEWS. Abu Dhabi Airports Company is celebrating the graduation of its first group of 16 managers, 11 of which are UAE nationals, who took part in the global ACI-ICAO Airport Management Professional Accreditation Programme (AMPAP). The Programme is approved by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the Airports Council International (ACI), and the University of Toulouse for Business Administration, in France.

In 2010, 50 managers from various departments across the Company were enrolled, and 16 graduates have now completed the rigorous programme, making this group the largest group of graduates compared to other airports from around the world participating in the same programme. This success is in line with Abu Dhabi Airport Company’s commitment to improving the performance of employees and increasing operational efficiency in the management of the Capital's airports.

The graduates were officially announced during the annual ACI Airport Exchange conference, held recently in Istanbul, Turkey.

Upon successful completion of the certification, participants earned the International Airport Professional (IAP) designation, which is the global standard of excellence in airport management. This International Airport Professional qualification provides participants with a better understanding of key contemporary issues and challenges that confront the various decision makers in the airport industry, and encourages adherence to uniform standards and awareness of best practices followed by leading airports worldwide.

GCAS is certified by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) as an Associate ‘TRAINAIR PLUS’ training centre, effectively becoming the world’s first certified aviation training centre. GCAS was also awarded the Gold TRAINAIR PLUS full membership from ICAO in December 2011, after successfully meeting membership requirements, which qualified the centre to be the first to chair the Steering Committee for the ‘TRAINAIR PLUS’ programme, making the UAE the first country to lead this prestigious Committee. The Steering Committee includes members from various countries around the world who oversee the implementation and the development of global training policies within the standards of the training programme.