The UAE’s civil aviation sector has shown its capability to overcome the coronavirus imposed challenges and direct them into incentives, implementing the UAE leadership’s directives to continue serving country’s efforts in providing humanitarian and relief aid across the global communities. Marking the celebrations of UAE Civil Aviation Day on 5th October and arrival of country’s first aircraft in 1932 at Al Mahatta Airport, Sharjah, the aviation sector has played a crucial role during pandemic and making it possible to deliver Emirati humanitarian aid.

The sector handles the operations of six carriers, including Wizz Air and Al Arabiya Abu Dhabi, and has helped in delivering UAE’s humanitarian aid across nations during unprecedented global pandemic crisis while following preventive measures to ensure health and safety of all employees, partners and passengers.

The aviation sector has followed and implemented various precautionary and preventive measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 infection, coordinating with relevant authorities, and adopted advanced technologies across airports in the country, including sanitising gates, touchless elevators, self-sanitising escalators, thermal cameras, and Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests The aviation sector has also sped up its efforts to evacuate Emirati citizens amid pandemic crisis and ensured their safe return.

The UAE has also extended support to many nations affected by Covid-19 by sending them medical aid and humanitarian aid on national carriers. This has benefitted over 118 countries with relief and medical aid. At the end of 2019, the sector had a good development with 8,656 pilots, 37,694 flight attendants and 4,321 engineers, in addition to 189 aircraft maintenance companies, 17 specialised medical centres and 47 training and consultancy centres.

The UAE has world’s largest fleet of registered Boeing 777 aircraft with a total of 881 as of end of 2019. It also has 27 airline licences, 105 air cargo companies and three licenced air navigation firms.

The Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Global Aviation Award, world’s largest award to honour the leaders of the civil aviation sector, was also launched which had prizes amounting to US$1 million. The General Civil Aviation Authority signed 12 agreements related to aerial connectivity, seven initial agreements and nine Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) to hold aerial transport talks with 23 nations.

 WAM