Currently employs 27,<> women

Women in Aviation Organization: Women represent 42% of the aviation workforce in the UAE

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The Middle East chapter of Women in Aviation organized a conference on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the branch, while announcing during the conference that the aviation sector in the UAE currently employs about 27,42 women, representing <>% of the workforce in the sector.

The conference was held as a simultaneous event with the 22nd edition of the Airport Show, which concludes in Dubai on Thursday.

Gender gap

Sheikha Mozah bint Marwan Al Maktoum, First Lieutenant Pilot, Dubai Police Air Wing, said in her honour speech that "the gender gap in aviation remains significant, and an effective roadmap is needed to address this."

She added that she founded Sheehana as a women's association in aviation, with the aim of empowering and supporting women in the aviation industry, explaining that Sheehana's vision is to promote gender balance in the aviation industry, through partnerships and cooperation at the local, regional and international levels.

"In the UAE, the presence of women is recognized and listened to, respected and inclused, and to improve gender equality, there is a need for cooperation between sponsors, the government and organizations supporting women in aviation."

Shehana was established as an international voluntary association that aims to attract and empower women in the aviation industry, and support them to assume leadership positions and represent the industry in international events, as the association seeks through cooperation with partners and sponsors to establish new frameworks, laws and regulations aimed at removing barriers and providing incentives to integrate more women into the sector.

Women in Aviation

Mervat Sultan, President of the Middle East Chapter of Women in Aviation, said in a speech on the sidelines of the 10th anniversary conference that the number of women in aviation is increasing, in light of the active and constructive participation of women who join the aviation field, as the aviation sector in the UAE currently employs about 27,42 women, representing <>% of the workforce in the sector.

She added: "Women exist in all aviation fields, not just female pilots, there are more female engineers, air traffic controllers, and employees in the medical, technical and legal fields."

Women's Empowerment

In the same context, the President of Boeing Middle East Turkey and Africa, Collegit Gata Ora, said in his guest of honor speech that "the UAE has made great strides in empowering women in the aviation industry, where about 27,<> women work in this sector."

In December 2022, we joined 15 private sector companies in the UAE to sign a pledge to accelerate the advancement of gender equality in the UAE workforce by increasing women's representation in leadership roles to 30% by 2025. This pledge was an important opportunity for us to strengthen our efforts and align them with the UAE's gender balance agenda."

He pointed out that women's representation in Boeing's workforce has risen globally to 24.6%, as a result of recruitment efforts and stronger work to retain them.

"Here in the UAE, we are also proud to partner with the government and other stakeholders to encourage gender equality in the aviation industry. We are committed to increasing the representation of women in leadership roles, not only in the UAE but across the Middle East, Turkey and Africa, and we have made significant progress over the past year, with women making up 33 per cent of all our new employees in the region, compared to 26 per cent in 2020."

Recognition Awards

On the sidelines of the conference, key stakeholders and leaders were honoured with the Women in Aviation Awards, with the 'Innovative Leader' award going to the CEO of Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects, Suzanne Al Anani, and the 'Leadership' award going to the Senior Vice President of Corporate Assurance at Dubai Airports, Mona Al Abdouli.

Boeing has been awarded the Most Supportive Middle East Company to Women in Aviation International for the past 10 years.

Etihad Airways was named 'Most Sustainable Aviation Company' and T3 Aviation was named 'Best Aviation Educational Institution'.

The 'Best Aviation Training Organisation' award went to Dynamic Advanced Training, while the 'Most Famous Woman in Aviation' award went to Reem Hussain Ismail Al Saffar, Senior Manager of Airports at the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority.

Pilot Noor Attaim, a senior officer on the Dash 8 aircraft and a Class III flight instructor at Air Inuit, received the "Achievement" award.