NEW DELHI, INDIA – Supporting India's ability to expand its staff of trained aviation officials in advance of increased growth in passengers, flights, cargo, and airport infrastructure is the goal of a USTDA grant awarded today to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The DGCA is the aviation regulatory oversight body for the Government of India, which faces a dramatic increase in the demand for trained aviation professionals in order to accommodate their regulatory role in India's civil aviation sector. Blair Hall, Minister Counselor for Economics at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, and Director of Airworthiness V. P. Massey signed the TA agreement on behalf of the U.S. Government and DGCA, respectively.

USTDA support will partially fund a Technical, Management, and Operational Development Training (TMODT) Program that is intended to provide an avenue for the DGCA to enhance the skills of its officers in order to meet the growing need for aviation regulatory oversight in India, as well as provide DGCA officials with hands-on experience in the regulatory oversight practices and standards utilized by U.S. industry and the U.S. aviation system managed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

USTDA will fund $387,282 of the $1,176,038 project, which includes support from ACP member companies, including GE Aviation, Bell Helicopter, Washington Consulting Group, and Honeywell, as well as training support from FAA.

"This technical assistance grant signed today as part of the U.S.-India Aviation Cooperation Program, will help the DGCA to safely expand their staff to meet their growing needs as a result of India's robust and expanding aviation industry," said USTDA Director Leocadia I. Zak.

This is the third program USTDA has supported with the DGCA through the ACP. Previous grants have supported an Aviation Standards and Processes Technical Training Program and a Helicopter Aviation Safety Program.

The training program for the DGCA officers will be provided by Hi-Tec Systems, Inc., a U.S. ACP member company who has been providing aviation sector consulting and engineering services for more than fifteen years.

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The U.S. Trade and Development Agency helps companies create U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services for priority development projects in emerging economies. USTDA links U.S. businesses to export opportunities by funding project planning activities, pilot projects, and reverse trade missions while creating sustainable infrastructure and economic growth in partner countries.

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