Korea Hands Over Aviation Center

KHMER TIMES
VEN RATHAVONG

A scale model of the aviation center which was handed over to the government yesterday. Supplied

Three and a half years after signing a memorandum of understanding on the project, the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in Cambodia handed over a $10.1 million aviation training center to the government yesterday.

KOICA and the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) in Cambodia held a handover ceremony yesterday for the new Cambodia Civil Aviation Training Center (CATC) on the grounds of Phnom Penh International Airport.

Mao Havannall, a secretary of state at SSCA, said in a Facebook posting that CATC was designed to develop the Kingdom’s economy, improve capacity and human resources in the civil aviation field and ensure security, safety and high-quality air transportation service.

“CATC, which was created by the government of the Republic of Korea, is very necessary to train people in civil aviation,” he said, adding that SSCA plans to work with the South Korean government and other international groups on technical resource exchanges and facilitation for specific and advanced job training programs.

Construction on the CATC started in February last year and Vietnam-based construction company Seogwoo Construction had been contracted to handle the project.

Jeong Yun Gil, the country director for KOICA’s Cambodia office, said the group had long supported a plethora of programs in Cambodia, with a grant aid volume of $203 million between 1991 and 2016.

“The close relationship between Korea and Cambodia has only grown stronger in recent years. And in 2016, KOICA allocated $23 million, which demonstrated that Cambodia is one of the most substantial partner countries for KOICA,” Mr. Jeong said.

The MoU between the government and KOICA was signed in October 2013 and in addition to constructing the aviation center, a plan was set in place to send Cambodians to South Korea for training in airport operations and security, air-traffic control, aviation safety and air-navigation equipment.

Cambodia had an estimated 20 active pilots as of 2015, all of whom have been trained in Russia. Last year, 16 Cambodians were sent to South Korea for training and some will serve as instructors at the CATC.