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January 24-25, 2013
Pudahuel, Santiago, Chile
On January 24-25, the Municipality of Pudahuel in Santiago de Chile in collaboration with CIFAL Atlanta and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) hosted the seminar titled “Latin American Airport Cities” to promote the exchange of best practices and foster cooperation among municipalities who have an airport in their jurisdictions. The seminar brought together approximately 200 representatives including local government authorities from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay and the United States.
The Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Chile Viviana Iturriaga, the National Airport Director of the Ministry of Public Works of Chile Maria Isabel Castillo, and the OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza inaugurated the seminar. During the two-day seminar, speakers and experts addressed crucial areas for airports and local governments such as economic development, environmental sustainability, transportation and urban planning. The program concluded with a tour of the airport and surrounding areas.
The IV seminar provided the venue for the formal creation of the Latin American Association of Airport Municipalities (ALMA – Asociacion Latinoamericana de Municipios Aeroportuarios). City representatives highlighted the importance of creating ALMA as a mechanism for exchange of best practices among cities on topics pertaining airports and local economic development.
CIFAL Atlanta’s CEO, Estrella Merlos, stated “ALMA seeks to foster dialogue, cooperation and exchange of best practices that contribute to position airports as engines for economic growth. CIFAL Atlanta is proud to be part of this initiative and aims to work with local government authorities from the region to strengthen their capacity to respond to urban challenges and to the demand of a growing aviation industry.”
