18 Sep Capacity building in Mozambique
Air Serv International selects ETA Air Charter as partner in new capacity building program
WARRENTON, VA – SEPTEMBER 18, 2007 – Air Serv International is pleased to announce the selection of ETA Air Charter as the most qualified partner in a new capacity building program in Mozambique. ETA (Empresa de Transportes Aereos, Lda) is a Mozambican air operator, established in 1998 and based in Beira where Air Serv International’s field program is located.
Air Serv International will provide training and other resources to assist ETA with its plans to become a stronger and more capable aviation company within Mozambique. “ETA was chosen for several reasons,” said Dale Malmskog, Air Serv International country director in Mozambique. “There is no doubt that ETA is strongly motivated to improve its standards of operation to satisfy international requirements. ETA is currently in a growth phase and is already employing experienced pilots and aircraft mechanics.”
One of Air Serv International’s training classes has already begun. Veteran Air Serv pilot Bob R
einaker has been conducting Cessna Caravan systems training with ETA Pilot Vijay Dilipe Kajaria, both on the ground and in the air. Once training is complete, Air Serv International will send Kajaria to South Africa for his Cessna Caravan Type Rating. In the coming weeks, ASI and ETA will further develop a program plan to suit both parties in terms of timelines, schedules and expectations. “ETA’s location in Beira makes the logistics of the program much easier and very cost-effective,” Malmskog said. “We are all looking forward to working with ETA on this project.”
Air Serv International first began flight operations in Mozambique in 1985. Operated out of Beira since 2000, the Air Serv International humanitarian flight operations program continues to support USAID relief and development projects throughout the country in the fields of agriculture, medicine and education. As part of its contract with USAID, Air Serv International is required to develop local capacity within the air transportation sector.
Air Serv International is a 501c3 registered not-for-profit humanitarian aviation organization, based in Warrenton, Virginia. For more than twenty years, Air Serv International pilots have flown in the most inaccessible places in the world under the most difficult of circumstances, saving lives and bringing hope to people in desperate circumstances.
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Contact:
BIRGITTE TESSIER PUBLIC RELATIONS COORDINATOR 540 428 2323, EXT. 114 gtessier@airserv.org