Riyadh Air, the new national airline of Saudi Arabia, has announced the intake of 27 women who commenced their 30-month diploma course on their path to become certified aircraft engineering technicians. In a groundbreaking move and a first for the Kingdom, female engineers will study under the supervision and guidance of Aviation Australia and the International Aviation Technical College at Riyadh Airport. This follows an MoU signed between Riyadh Air and the Colleges of Excellence in August 2023 and is the first collaboration of many between the organizations.
These budding engineers are all Saudi high-school graduates with impressive GPAs and were chosen from thousands of applicants who wished to be part of the Riyadh Air story as it moves toward future operations. The airline is strongly committed to inclusiveness and in a positive sign of the ongoing role of women in the airline, Riyadh Air has specifically chosen females for its entire first intake of trainee engineers to be placed on the apprenticeship program.
Senior leaders from Riyadh Air including Tony Douglas, CEO; Mark Donovan, Australian ambassador to Saudi Arabia; and Ajman Abdullah, CEO of Colleges of Excellence, met with the trainee engineers during a visit to the facility at Riyadh Airport. Female aircraft maintenance engineers and technicians currently account for only 3 percent of the worldwide workforce. With a shortfall of qualified maintenance workers expected in the coming years, Riyadh Air is harnessing an expanding talent pool of Saudi women who are keen to enter non-traditional roles in the industry.
Douglas said: “Riyadh Air is an airline that will challenge perceptions while representing the modern, dynamic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ensuring we are well represented in terms of gender equality is an important pillar of our business and introducing young women to the technical side of our airline demonstrates that we are serious about creating an airline that meets the expectations of Vision 2030. We are fortunate that our engineers are students at the International Aviation Technical College under the Colleges of Excellence banner and accredited by Aviation Australia, one of the most prestigious global aviation schools and we fully expect these ladies to be part of the future leadership of Riyadh Air.”
Ambassador Donovan said: “It was great to join Colleges of Excellence and the CEO of Riyadh Air at the International Aviation Technical College to meet the first women who have joined the Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Program. This is a great step, and it is fantastic to know that Australia’s world leading education sector OSS is once again enabling women’s economic participation as Saudi Arabia moves forward with Vision 2030.”
CEO of Colleges of Excellence Abdullah said: “We are proud to support this pioneering batch of female trainees in the field of aircraft maintenance engineering in partnership with Riyadh Air, and we believe in their capabilities to achieve excellence in this dynamic field. Colleges of Excellence works to provide a stimulating educational and training environment for the trainees and provide them with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in their professional development. We are keen to support the national female competencies in various fields and provide them with proper job opportunities.”
