AESA and the Chilean aeronautical authority strengthen their cooperation in civil aviation

• Montserrat Mestres, Director of AESA, and Humberto Fernández, Director General of DGAC Chile, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a framework for technical collaboration.
• This agreement demonstrates the commitment of both authorities to strengthen the development of technical capabilities and promote the highest standards of safety in civil aviation.
• Within the framework of this agreement, AESA technical staff has developed a cooperation activity on flight simulation devices in the city of Santiago de Chile.

Madrid, 8 May 2026 (AESA)

The State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) and the Directorate General of Civil Aeronautics of the Republic of Chile (DGAC Chile) have formalized a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the aim of establishing a framework for international technical cooperation in the field of civil aviation, within the respective competences of both authorities.

The Memorandum, signed by the Director of AESA, Montserrat Mestres, and by the Director General of DGAC Chile, Humberto Fernández, lays the foundations for a stable and long-term collaboration between the two institutions.

This cooperation focuses on different areas such as safety and physical safety (AVSEC), environment or air navigation, among others. The collaboration provides for both specific cooperation activities and the planning and management of resources for each of them.

Shared knowledge in operational safety

As the first concrete action framed in this Memorandum of Understanding, AESA and DGAC Chile have collaborated in a first activity in the field of flight simulation devices (FSTD), approved equipment that reproduces the behavior of an aircraft and its operating environment for the training and qualification of pilots.

The activity, carried out in person in Santiago de Chile by AESA technical staff, has combined a theoretical development related to the regulations, procedures and requirements applicable to the initial qualification, recurrent evaluation and use of FSTD devices, with specialized technical support. This accompaniment has included the joint realization of two exercises of evaluation of flight simulators to an operator of this type of devices, where the instructors of AESA and the inspectors of the Chilean Authority participated.

This has made it possible to exchange experiences, harmonise technical criteria and strengthen supervisory capabilities in flight simulation, thus contributing to the continuous improvement of operational safety.

A model of institutional cooperation

This activity is an example of the importance of this agreement and highlights the commitment of AESA and DGAC Chile to strengthen international cooperation, the development of technical capabilities and the promotion of safety standards in civil aviation.

In addition, it is a boost to place Spain as a benchmark for safe, sustainable and efficient air transport.

About AESA

AESA is the State body, attached to the Secretary of State for Transport of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, which ensures that civil aviation standards are complied with in all aeronautical activity in Spain.

The Agency has the missions of Supervision, Inspection and Management of Air Transport, Air Navigation and Airport Security. It assesses risks to transport safety and has the power to impose penalties for breaches of civil aviation rules.