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| The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) signed a three-way agreement with its partners in Brazil and Paraguay to develop aviation sector in Paraguay. Courtesy of KOICA |
By Yi Whan-woo
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the foreign aid arm of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, signed a three-way agreement with its partners in Brazil and Paraguay, March 9, to develop the aviation sector in Paraguay.
The three-way deal involves Brazil's National Service for Industrial Training (SENAI) and Paraguay's National Directorate of Civil Aviation (DINAC) comes as a part of a KOICA aviation development project.
Introduced in 2017, the project includes training programs for pilots, air traffic controllers and maintenance workers as well as strengthening the capacity of aviation professionals in other ways.
KOICA will support and oversee the joint cooperation program, while DINAC will provide administrative support including selection and deployment of experts. SENAI will be responsible for aviation training programs, curricula and training materials tailored to the needs of DINAC, and will offer additional resources required to nurture personnel.
"Although the aviation infrastructure in Paraguay still has a lot of shortcomings, it has a great growth potential," said Kim Dae-hwan, director of KOICA's office in Paraguay.
Kim noted Paraguay is located centrally in Latin America and can grow into an aviation transport hub for the region.
In response to the increasing demand for aviation, refurbishment and expansion works are underway at Asuncion International Airport and there is growing demand for workers in the aviation sector as well.
"I hope that from a medium- to long-term perspective, Paraguay will transform into a hub for fostering aviation experts in South America through this project," Kim added.
The three-way cooperation aims to create jobs and address personnel shortages by fostering a professional workforce in Paraguay's aviation sector. According to KOICA, the sector needs 687 pilots, 973 maintenance workers and 56 air traffic controllers.
Paraguay additionally plans to obtain maintenance certification that can raise credibility from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and the United States as well as other regional countries in order to offer aircraft maintenance services there.
In addition to the aviation project, KOICA provides support in Paraguay on transportation, such as roadway technology, public transportation improvements and establishment of sustainable transportation systems.
