With air travel demand rebounding as countries reopen to international visitors, aviation university courses in the UAE are recording an increase in the number of applicants amid a global labour shortage in the sector.
Emirates Aviation University (EAU), part of Dubai's Emirates Group, received 2,981 applications for its undergraduate programme for the 2022-2023 academic year, exceeding pre-pandemic levels of 1,638 in 2019-2020, vice chancellor Ahmad Al Ali said in a media round-table on Monday.
"This year we have a large number of applications, it's higher than any year before and that's due to the fact that the pandemic has almost lifted," he said.
"The shortage of skilled staff in the aviation industry has created a huge opportunity for students and even employees from other industries. Whenever there's a downturn, the aviation industry is always the first one to pick up at a very fast pace, so it's only natural that people will choose the aviation industry as a field of study and obviously they'd like to work in aviation."
A total of 350 undergraduate students enrolled for the new academic year. Another 250 postgraduate students are currently enrolled and registration has started for the next term that starts in late September.
The global aviation industry is struggling with a staffing shortage across all areas of the business, from pilots to baggage handlers, ticket agents, flight attendants and aircraft mechanics.
Hiring has been a slow process, compared with the pace of recovery in travel demand, as extensive background checks, training and certification takes time.
The UAE is a major global aviation hub, home to long-haul airline Emirates, midsized Etihad Airways and budget specialists Air Arabia, flydubai, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi and Air Arabia Abu Dhabi.
EAU, established in 1991 in Dubai's Academic City, offers programmes in aeronautical engineering, business administration, aviation management, safety and security.
Since its inception, more than 25,000 students have graduated from its various undergraduate, postgraduate, professional and research programmes.
"The UAE is a hub in aviation with four major airlines ... so it is only natural that people want to come here to study aviation," Mr Al Ali said.
Employment opportunities in aviation
Asked if the university was getting enough applicants to help plug the aviation staffing crunch in the region, the vice chancellor said the "shortage is huge" and that it would likely take "a few years" for the industry to bridge the gap.
Last year, 84 per cent of EAU's graduates found employment, with most going on to fill jobs at Emirates airline, he said.
Others have been hired by industry players such as plane lessor Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE), French aerospace group Thales, aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Airbus, flydubai, Air Arabia, Lufthansa Technik Middle East, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority, Dubai Airports, Jet Aviation and the Royal Aircraft Maintenance Company.
"They approach us and ask us for graduates on a yearly basis, they're very happy with the quality of our graduates," Mr Al Ali said.
“We graduate about 400 to 500 students per year where they do fill some of the gaps, even in Emirates with aircraft maintenance engineers.”
Aviation management graduates find jobs at Emirates’ commercial department, sales optimisation and route-planning or managing offices across the airline’s vast network.
The aviation management programme has a nearly even gender split, slightly more biased towards a higher number of female students, while the engineering programme has a ratio of 80 per cent males to 20 per cent females.
A six-month internship as part of the programme for 15-hour credits helps students with hands-on training. Top-performing students get a one-semester internship opportunity with the Emirates Group. Nearly 600 students between 2018 and 2022 received an internship and on-job training with Emirates airline.
Popular courses
Among EAU's most popular short-term training courses is the flight dispatch programme — which is approved by the GCAA and the EU's Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) — particularly for students from the CIS and Middle East countries, Mr Al Ali said.
Aviation management and aeronautical engineering undergraduate programmes are also in demand, he said.
Looking ahead, the future of aviation employment will be shaped by advanced technology that will help executives analyse data and make the right decisions, with the university offering new programmes in fields such as artificial intelligence (AI).
"AI, data science and mathematical modelling go hand-in-hand and that's the future," he said.
Boeing forecasts demand for 2.1 million new aviation workers over the next 20 years, up 3.4 per cent from its projections in 2021, as air travel recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.
The long-term forecast shows that 602,000 pilots, 610,000 maintenance technicians and 899,000 cabin crew members will be needed to support the global commercial fleet over the next two decades.
Labour shortages and inflation are the two biggest issues facing the aviation sector as it emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Airline Economic Analysis report by consultancy Oliver Wyman.
“Airlines have been at the receiving end with the fuel price hikes and personnel shortage impacting their bottom line," said Andre Martins, partner and head of IMEA Transportation and Services at Oliver Wyman.
Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
All about the Sevens
Cape Town Sevens on Saturday and Sunday: Pools A – South Africa, Kenya, France, Russia; B – New Zealand, Australia, Spain, United States; C – England, Scotland, Argentina, Uganda; D – Fiji, Samoa, Canada, Wales
HSBC World Sevens Series standing after first leg in Dubai 1 South Africa; 2 New Zealand; 3 England; 4 Fiji; 5 Australia; 6 Samoa; 7 Kenya; 8 Scotland; 9 France; 10 Spain; 11 Argentina; 12 Canada; 13 Wales; 14 Uganda; 15 United States; 16 Russia
About RuPay
A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank
RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards
It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.
In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments
The name blends two words rupee and payment
Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs
Left Bank: Art, Passion and Rebirth of Paris 1940-1950
Agnes Poirer, Bloomsbury
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
T20 World Cup Qualifier
October 18 – November 2
Opening fixtures
Friday, October 18
ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya
Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan
Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed
Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed
Torbal Rayeh Wa Jayeh
Starring: Ali El Ghoureir, Khalil El Roumeithy, Mostafa Abo Seria
Stars: 3
Brief scoreline:
Wales 1
James 5'
Slovakia 0
Man of the Match: Dan James (Wales)
How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
