FAA AWARDS $3 MILLION TO GW CONSORTIUM FOR DEVELOPINGINTERNATIONAL AVIATION SAFETY
AND SECURITY PROGRAM

 Program Will Be Designed To Improve Safety and Security Oversight of Foreign Air Carriers Operating in U.S.

WASHINGTON – The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded $3 million to a consortium headed by The George Washington University to develop an international aviation safety and security program.  The program will be designed to improve the safety and security oversight of foreign air carriers that conduct operations in the U.S.  The funding may continue for an additional two years for a total of $9 million.

GW and George Mason University, the other member of the consortium, will develop an executive program to assist foreign civil aviation authorities in meeting air safety and security standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).  For foreign carriers to operate in the U.S., the homeland government must meet these standards for overseeing the safety and security procedures of its airlines and airports.

“Given the current challenges facing U.S. aviation in safety and security, it is clear that we must address these issues globally, and this program will help to accomplish that goal,” said Professor Vahid Motevalli, director of aviation safety and security programs at GW. “We are very eager to do our part to ensure that safety and security of the flying public by developing this program in cooperation with the FAA and George Mason University.”

This program intends to provide a forum for executive-level government officials, such as the president, minister of transportation or director general of aviation, to develop best practices for meeting their country’s obligations as signatories to ICAO standards.

The international aviation safety and security program will provide a sophisticated and high-level environment for requirements of national aviation safety oversight and security programs that meet the ICAO standards.  Participants will have an opportunity to exchange ideas with aviation experts and other U.S. government representatives through an understanding of the legal framework, the latest safety and security practices, procedures and materials, and the technical and human resources needed to implement and maintain effective aviation safety and security oversight programs.

Irwin Price, executive dean of GW’s Virginia Campus, calls this new program “an example of partnership between universities, government and industry to address some very pressing needs in aviation.”

GW's close involvement with aviation issues dates back to 1997 when the University hosted the International Conference on Aviation Safety and Security in the 21^st Century sponsored by the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security. As a by-product of that event, GW launched the Aviation Institute to combine the efforts of federal, state, and local government within industry and academia to promote a comprehensive approach to safety and security issues facing the aviation industry in the new millennium. Within this Institute, the University has offered an "Aviation Safety and Security Management Certificate Program" since October of 1997.  In 1999, the University sponsored the Global Summit on International Aviation Infrastructure. For this unique event, heads of industry and delegates from more than 50 countries gathered in Washington to examine aviation infrastructure weaknesses and work toward building a consensus that results in real reform.  A Graduate Certificate program in Airline Management is also being launched in January 2002.

The program will be conducted at GW’s Virginia Campus, a 77,000 square foot, $25 million graduate education and research center that serves an international technology and management community.  Celebrating its tenth anniversary since opening in August 1991, the 50-acre campus has grown from modest beginnings with 200 enrollments and $50,000 in funded research to a strong, vigorous cluster of academic programs with more than 3,000 enrollments and funded research that tops $15 million.

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