October 1, 2003

The American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) and the U.S. Embassy are holding a workshop from October 1 to 3 on Airport and Tourism Development at the headquarters of the Romanian Air Traffic Services Administration (ROMATSA) in Bucharest. The event is being sponsored locally by the Ministry of Transportation, Construction and Tourism, and other Romanian organizations, including Tarom Airlines, the Bucharest-Otopeni International Airport, ROMATSA, the Romanian Civil Aviation Authority, the Happy Tour Travel Agency, and CARPAT AIR Airlines.

AAAE, combined with its affiliated organization, the International Association of Airport Executives (IAAE), is the largest airport management professional organization in the world, representing over 2,500 airport executives worldwide. AAAE and IAAE conduct over 100 conferences, workshops and training programs for airport officials worldwide on an annual basis.

AAAE and IAAE organize, in cooperation with civil aviation and tourism authorities in Central and Eastern Europe, annual workshops devoted to discussions of airport development as related to the development of tourism in the region. Recent workshops have taken place in Dubrovnik and Budapest.

The participants in the workshop include airport executives from Bucharest and other major cities, government officials and representatives of tourism organizations and travel agencies, as well as airport managers from the U.S.