JEDDAH: Riyadh Air has celebrated the graduation of its first cohort of Saudi women aircraft maintenance engineers, marking a milestone in efforts to develop national talent in a key technical field, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The ceremony, held at the airline’s headquarters in the presence of the graduates’ families and senior executives, saw 26 women complete the Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Diploma program.
The program was launched by Riyadh Air in cooperation with Colleges of Excellence and the International Technical College. It aims to equip Saudi women with the technical skills needed to work in aircraft maintenance in line with international standards.
The program also supports efforts to build an advanced national aircraft maintenance ecosystem and strengthen the competitiveness of Saudi Arabia’s aviation sector.
Nahar Al-Juhani, senior vice president of talent acquisition and business partners at Riyadh Air, said the graduates had completed an advanced technical program based on the highest international standards.
Investing in national talent remains central to Riyadh Air’s development and supports Saudi Vision 2030 goals to establish the Kingdom as a leading global aviation hub, he added.
The diploma is part of a wider range of initiatives launched by Riyadh Air to develop and attract Saudi talent. These include the Nawa graduate development program, the Nawa cabin crew program, and scholarship programs in co-pilot training and aircraft maintenance.
The initiatives aim to support the growth of Saudi Arabia’s aviation sector and expand opportunities for national talent.
Riyadh Air also graduated the first cohort of its cabin crew training program in 2024, with 32 Saudi men and women completing the course. The program was part of wider efforts to increase Saudi participation across the aviation sector.
flynas earlier became the first Saudi airline to graduate cohorts of Saudi women flight attendants in 2019, marking a significant step in expanding employment opportunities for women in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
