Emirates-Airways NZ partnership addresses global shortage

Airways New Zealand and Emirates Aviation College are joining forces to deliver air traffic control training in Dubai, one of the world’s largest air transport hubs.  

Emirates Aviation College is part of Emirates Group and Airways is the state-owned air traffic control organisation from New Zealand.

The joint venture will see Airways delivering air traffic control training to up to 200 students per year at the College’s new purpose-built campus in Dubai over the next five years.

Vice Chancellor of Emirates Aviation College, Dr Ahmad al Ali, said that the partnership fills a critical gap in the Middle East region for the training of air traffic controllers.

“There is a global shortage of air traffic controllers, which has serious repercussions for the aviation industry – particularly in this part of the world where air traffic is expected to continue growing.  This new joint venture allows us to capitalise on Airways’ 20 years of experience in training controllers around the world, and to provide a highly-specialised resource that our industry so desperately needs for future development,” said Dr Ahmad Al Ali. 

“Emirates Aviation College already has a track record and reputation for providing world-class aviation training. This partnership with Airways complements our existing training programmes and further cements our position as the leading centre for aviation-related training and education,” says Dr Al Ali.

Airways is already a familiar name across the northern hemisphere for its innovative aviation training products, working both in client locations and from its New Zealand training centres.  
Airways Chief Executive, Ed Sims, explains that the new joint venture enhances these strong relationships.

“Airways and Emirates are two quality aviation training providers sharing a leading position in the provision of air traffic control training in this region.  This partnership is a significant step forward in dealing with the significant congestion challenges across the Middle East,” he says.

Airways brings its SureSelect controller selection programme to guarantee that only the very best students are selected for the programme, while its state-of-the-art Total Control simulators provide students with outstanding opportunities to practice different scenarios on real-world software.

The joint venture agreement was signed by Dr Ahmad al Ali for Emirates Aviation College and Russell Hulstrom, General Manager Airways Global Services.  The partnership will offer air traffic control short courses from May, and will commence ab-initio (basic) training from September 2014.

The training is provided in accordance with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices, which means graduates are well prepared to achieve ratings at airports and radar centres around the world.

Ends