Kuwait - 06 August 2008: Kuwait's National Aviation Services (NAS), the leading provider of quality airport ground handling services to airlines at the Kuwait International Airport today announced the launch of the NAS Aviation Academy. This comes shortly after NAS successfully obtained its Certification as an IATA Authorized Training Center.

The NAS Aviation Academy will provide training programs in Travel & Tourism, Cargo and Dangerous Goods, Airport & Civil Aviation procedures, Passenger Services and Ground Handling Operations in addition to various accredited certifications and training courses. At the NAS Training Academy, candidates will learn in a classroom environment with certified experienced trainers and also obtain hands-on training in various areas of the aviation industry.

"IATA certified courses have gained worldwide recognition in the aviation industry and holders of a certificate accredited by IATA have a huge scope in the industry. With our new authorized training center, we are equipped not only to certify people with travel and tourism certificates but also ground handling operations, cargo and other aviation related activities. Candidates seeking to get qualified in these fields will no longer need to travel outside the country to obtain certifications" quoted Mohamed Omar Al-Habash, Training Manager at NAS.

"Our ability to provide IATA certified courses to the Kuwaiti market has put us in the big league of training institutes and we will continue to enhance our course materials and methods of training to be more valuable to travel professionals in the country." he added.

"As a ground handler at Kuwait International Airport our competitive edge is the fact that our students can benefit from hands-on training within the various areas of ground handling operations that we manage at the airport, something that no other training institute has at the moment in Kuwait and we intend on leveraging this entirely to our advantage. This feat means we are the first training center providing integrated aviation training solutions in Kuwait" concluded Al-Habash who was instrumental in setting up the Academy with the assistance of the training department under the sponsorship of Naji Al- Ajmi, the CEO of NAS.

Al-Ajmi highlighted: "The NAS Aviation Academy is yet another milestone in NAS's long and successful journey in the industry and will grow our current capabilities locally and internationally - especially in the training and development sector within the aviation industry. As a leading ground handling service provider in the region, we aim to enhance the industry in various aspects and this includes providing the right platform for professional training and development as well."

"As the industry expands, we anticipate a huge demand for certified and trained professionals in the near future and our goal is to be a pioneer in this field. Through our academy, youngsters will get the opportunity to realize their dreams in the aviation sector. We aim to keep up to our commitment of adding value to the industry locally and our academy is a testament to our commitment to developing the industry locally" he concluded.

-Ends-

About National Aviation Services:
Based in Kuwait, NAS is a private airline ground handling company providing core airline services like Ground Support, Passenger Handling, Cargo Management, Engineering and Airport Lounges along with a host of value added services like meet and assist, ticketing & travel and airport facilitation services at the airports in Kuwait, Jordan and India. NAS is a member of the IATA Ground Handling Council (IGHC), GASA (Gulf Airport Services Agencies) & IAHA (International Aviation Handlers' Association) is approved by EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) and follows internationally adapted practices and procedures.

For more information please contact:
National Aviation Services:
Barry Rodrigues
Manager - Corporate Marketing
Tel: +965 4372308
Fax: +965 434 9161
Email: by.rodrigues@nas.com.kw
URL: www.nas.com.kw

© Press Release 2008