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About 300 professionals from around the world joined Etihad Engineering across various business areas in 2024.
The United Arab Emirates’ Emiratization initiative is progressing steadily in aviation, but the country’s reliance on overseas expertise will likely continue for a while to address the skills shortages and capacity needed for rapid fleet expansion.
Boeing projects a need for 716,000 new maintenance technicians globally in the next 20 years, including 63,000 in the Middle East amid the region’s rapid expansion in air transport networks and increased fleet sizes.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) specifically is forging ahead with quotas for Emiratization across various industries, including aviation, requiring companies to achieve specific percentages of Emirati staff in skilled roles. Attracting and retaining technical talent, however, has been a constant challenge, hence the large dependence on expatriate personnel.
FOCUS ON TRAINING
In 2024 alone, 75% of Abu Dhabi-based Sanad’s employees participated in training programs, ranging from technical certification to soft skills, reflecting the dedication to workforce development.
“We believe that a strong, skilled local workforce is not only key to our success but also essential for the sustainable growth of the aviation industry,” says Ebraheem Budebs, group head of human resources at Sanad. The company has also developed a range of targeted training programs with various academic institutions locally and abroad focused on building essential skills and fostering leadership potential.
A notable example is the strategic collaboration with Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi to nurture local talent and foster knowledge exchange and immersive programs with OEMs, providing engineers with valuable international experience. Additionally, Sanad has increased Emirati representation in senior leadership roles to 39%, a considerable rise in the past two years, Budebs reports.
By the end of 2024, UAE nationals accounted for 32% of the workforce at Sanad—approximately 600 employees and an increase of 19% compared with the previous year. “Our plan is to achieve an Emiratization target of 35% by the end of 2025, reinforcing our commitment to growing local talent,” Budebs says.
Meanwhile, Etihad Engineering trains and upskills its staff at its in-house Part 147 technical training facility and overseas when needed, in line with constantly growing capabilities across major aircraft platforms.
Shaikha Alzaabi, senior manager of human resources at Etihad Engineering, says the company receives thousands of global applications for engineering and technician roles. However, retaining experienced professionals who have gained vast exposure from the facility remains a challenge, since demand for experienced personnel far exceeds supply regionally and worldwide.
“We accept that many people will move on with the passage of time to explore career prospects elsewhere, and we plan our human resource pool accordingly,” Alzaabi says.
Despite retention issues, about 300 professionals from around the world joined Etihad Engineering across various areas of the business in 2024. The company continues to monitor, manage, upskill and grow its talent pool to match business requirements.
TALENT SCOUTS
No single organization can address the skills shortages and capacity needs on its own; a collective effort is required to develop and nurture the workforce to fill the talent gap in the aviation market.
Etihad Engineering runs short-term internship programs that offer students from local colleges and universities an opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience at its MRO facility. The customized on-site training is matched with each student’s career track.
Under its longer term On-the-Job Experience program, Etihad has successfully placed its first batch of trainees from the Vision Concept Aviation Training Institute in Dubai.
Etihad Engineering already conducts other certified training courses at its in-house technical training facility for internal, regional and global needs.
The conundrum for the UAE—and the wider Middle East—is balancing heavy reliance on skilled foreign workers with government initiatives to prioritize local talent. Alzaabi says Etihad Engineering has expertise from more than 50 countries, including local Emiratis, all working as a single team at its MRO facility in Abu Dhabi.
“We are committed to the Emiratization goals of the UAE,” she says, adding that local professionals play an active role at Etihad, from the hangar floor to the highest levels of management and leadership.
Elsewhere, recent industry collaborations have demonstrated the drive to accelerate aerospace innovation and human capital development within the UAE. In November, Abu Dhabi sovereign investor Mubadala announced a partnership with Safran in France that included nurturing local talent through collaborative training opportunities for Emirati engineers and aerospace experts.
COLLABORATIVE STRATEGIES
The post-pandemic period has seen considerable emphasis on wider cooperation among airlines, MROs and aftermarket suppliers in such areas as maintenance training and materials supply.
Budebs says Sanad has paid a lot of attention to the cooperation among various stakeholders. Its strategic partnerships with OEMs, such GE Aerospace, Rolls-Royce and Safran, help employees receive industry-standard training and access to new technologies. These collaborative efforts also become useful when dealing with the complexities of the MRO supply chain and maintaining operational continuity amid industry disruptions.
“Beyond our OEM partnerships, we collaborate with MROs like Luft-hansa Technik Middle East [LTME] and other academic institutions,” Budebs says. He adds that these partnerships focus on joint innovation, research and development, enhancing capabilities while contributing to local talent development and the growth of the UAE’s aerospace ecosystem.
Budebs cites, for instance, the collaboration among Sanad, Khalifa University and LTME in demonstrating the usefulness of a robotic arm at Lufthansa Technik’s headquarters in Hamburg. The partners developed an automated chord measurement system that combines an industrial robotic arm with a laser profiler, which they assert marked a sizable advancement in integrating artificial intelligence within MRO processes.
Meanwhile, Etihad Engineering is in the process of gaining UK Civil Aviation Authority Part 147 approval in addition to the in-house technical training facility approvals it already holds from the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
“We train more than 10,000 aviation professionals through more than 600 courses every year,” says Adrian Guirey, senior manager of technical training at Etihad Engineering. These include training aviation personnel from other MROs and airlines in addition to serving internal needs and supporting the training programs at Etihad Airways. Many of the Emirati workers at Etihad Engineering joined the MRO through such programs and continue to rise in the ranks, Guirey says.
THE AIRLINE RESPONSE
Some local airlines are also beefing up training and technical capabilities. In December, FlyDubai reported that it received its own GCAA CAR 147-approved maintenance training and organization certification, allowing it to conduct in-house maintenance and engineering training and certification.
Obtaining this approval will enable it “to tailor the curriculum to its specific operational needs, aircraft types and the highest safety standards,” FlyDubai said in a Dec. 9 statement. “This enhances in-house capabilities and streamlines the onboarding process, enabling the airline to quickly scale its workforce to meet growing operational demands.”
FlyDubai operates 88 Boeing 737s, including 29 737-800s, 56 MAX 8s and three MAX 9s. The airline has announced plans for a purpose-built MRO facility, set to open in Dubai South by 2026.
“Granting FlyDubai a maintenance-training organization approval represents a major advancement in the educational infrastructure to train and qualify skilled professionals in the civil aviation sector,” GCAA Director General Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi said in the Dec. 9 statement.
FlyDubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said the new certification and continued investment in its in-house capabilities will help support “Dubai’s economic and aviation vision.”
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