The founding of the International Association of Aviation and Aerospace Education, initiated by Beihang University, McGill University, Ecole Nationale de l'Aviation Civile, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the Moscow State Technical University of Civil Aviation and the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, was officially announced at the Second ICAO Next Generation of Aviation Professionals Global Summit on the morning of December 13. Liu Fang, Secretary-General of the International Civil Aviation Organization, attended the ceremony.

At the signing ceremony, representatives of over 30 educational institutions in aeronautics, astronautics and civil aviation from such countries like China, the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, South Africa, Turkey and Singapore, signed the statement to join the association on the scene. Six aviation-related associations or organizations stated their support for the establishment and future development of the association. Besides, 23 international educational agencies and academic organizations sent letters to support the founding of the association during the summit. Beihang Vice President Huang Haijun signed the statement on behalf of Beihang University, and Wen Dongsheng, Dean of the School of Aeronautic Science and Engineering of Beihang University, signed on behalf of ARCAS (Aerospace College Alliance of Sino-universities).

The International Association of Aviation and Aerospace Education, as an advocate of global aviation education, will promote all-round multilateral cooperation globally or regionally on behalf of the interests of its members, so as to cope with the shared challenges faced by the global aviation industry in education and scientific research. Its establishment provides a favorable platform for exchanges and cooperation among the government, industry, universities and research institutes in the aerospace field and offers a channel for communication and cooperation between its members and international organizations. By boosting the multilateral cooperation, the association aims to improve the quality of global aviation education and cultivate next-generation aviation professionals, playing a positive role in the sustainable development of the global aviation industry.

Reported by Gao Yuan

Reviewed by Lyu Ying

Edited by Jia Aiping

Translated by Lyu Xingyun