Etihad Airways’ innovative Emiratisation programme has passed a major milestone with 150 UAE national trainees now working for the airline.

The scheme now boasts 87 cadet pilots, 34 graduate managers and 29 technical engineers. The 125 men and 25 women are currently training in Abu Dhabi with the aspiration to pursue a challenging career with Etihad Airways.

As part of their induction to Etihad Airways, the latest two cadet pilot groups and one trainee engineer group met with chief executive James Hogan and members of the senior management team at the airline’s Abu Dhabi headquarters on Wednesday 24 June.

The Emirati students and Mr Hogan discussed the importance of continuing to build a strong Emirati work-force as the airline expands its fleet of aircraft, global flight network and award-winning services.

James Hogan said: “As the national airline of the UAE, it is very important that Emiratis have a key role in the development of all areas of the company. The cadet pilot, graduate manager and technical engineer programmes will help us to make this happen and ensure we have a workforce of the very highest calibre.”

Since the programme began in 2007 one group of cadet pilots and one group of graduate managers have passed through the Etihad training academy and are now deployed in posts across the airline.

The Etihad Airways cadet pilots are currently training to gain their airline transport pilot licence (ATPL) qualifications. This includes 750 hours of classroom tuition and 205 hours of flight training in both single-engine and multi-engine aircraft. During this time they also have to pass the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority’s theoretical knowledge and flying exam.

Abdulla Khalifa Al Braiki, a cadet pilot on the current course, said: “I am thrilled to join the Etihad Emiratisation programme which will provide me with many new skills and abilities that I’ll be able to use throughout my career. I look forward to graduating from the scheme and contributing to the growth of the airline.”

The trainee engineers are studying on the airline’s Technical Engineering Development Programme, which offers an exciting and challenging opportunity to UAE Nationals to complete a Higher Diploma in Aviation Engineering Technology (Airframe and Aero engines or Avionics) at the Higher College of Technology (HCT) in Abu Dhabi.

This will develop Etihad’s workforce needed for its technical division by providing trainees with an approved GCAA Higher Diploma in Aviation Engineering including on-the-job-training (OJT).

Etihad Airways’ Emiratisation programme offers a wide range of career opportunities for UAE nationals. As well as the cadet pilot and technical engineering development programmes, there is a graduate management development scheme, which is now training its third group of graduates.

Members of the technical engineer trainee group: Abdulla Khalifa Al Braiki; Abdulla Mohamed Al Shehhi; Abdulrahman Saleh Al Hadarem; Adel Abdul Ghani Al Bloushi; Abdulla Saleh Omar; Ali Saeed Al Junaibi; Hamad Mohamed Askar Al Naqbi; Abdulla Tayyeb AlAwadi; Hamad Obaid Yammahi; Ibrahim Saif Al Mazrouei; Ebrahim Yahya Hamed; Hamad Obaid Al Sraidy; Mohamed Abdul Khaleq Sulaiman; Saeed Taleb Al Zaabi; Waleed Yaqoub Bin Huwaidan and Mohamed Abdulla Abdul Rahman.

Members of the two cadet pilot groups: Hmoud Abdul Rahman Al Junaibi; Khalifa Ahmad Eid; Mansour Saeed Al Baloushi; Omar Kamil Mohamed; Mohamed Abdulla Almarzouqi; Omar Abdulla Al Rashedi; Ali Mohamed Al Muhairi; Hamda Jumaa Al-Qubaisi; Abdulla Ali Al Hamiri; Shereen Abid AlMazrouei; Fahed Khalil Rasheed; Adel Abdulla AlHosani; Younis Mohamed Mamoun Al Ketbi; Mansoor Abdulla Al Shamsi; Ahmed Yahya Hamed; Rashed Khaled Al Hosani; Sultan Naji Al Ameri and Hesham Abdulsamad Bawazeer.

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