Aviation sector hiring hits an...

New study suggests there will be demand for 20 million staff in the next 20 years

Applications to the Emirates Aviation University have almost doubled to the pre-pandemic levels as hiring in the aviation sector has reached an all-time high.

Emirates Aviation Industry (EAU) vice chancellor Ahmad Al Ali said: "The shortage of skilled staff in the aviation industry has created huge opportunities for employment. This year, EAU has received almost 3,000 applicants – nearly double the number of applications it had for the 2019-2020 academic year – for its various undergraduate programmes."

The recently released Pilot and Technician Outlook report by Boeing has predicted that there will be a demand for more than 2 million new aviation personnel over the next 20 years to safely support the recovery of commercial air travel and meet rising long-term growth.

The Middle East alone will need over 200,000 pilots, technicians and cabin crew during this period.

Al Ali added that Dubai has been fortunate not to face a shortage of staff in the industry because of the city’s ability to rebound quickly. He also said that the impact on the UAE is significantly lower than Europe and other regions of the world, partly because we graduate about 400 to 500 students every year,” he said.

In 2021, the university placed 84% of its graduates in various companies like Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, Airbus and Boeing, as well as Emirates.

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There has been a shift in focus with lessons learnt during the pandemic now being incorporated into the courses at EAU, including data sciences and artificial intelligence (AI) mathematical modelling.

In addition to this, the institute is also focusing on research projects. The EAU permits students to work on projects in collaboration with other Emirates entities, including Dnata, to find solutions for real-world problems.

For more information, visit www.eau.ac.ae