In the light of celebrating Emirati Women's day, The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in the UAE held a specialised training course to encourage and support the prominent role of females in the aviation sector.

The three-day course titled 'Strategic Planning and Innovation in Aviation' was conducted by Laila Bin Hareb, the assistant director general for Strategy & International Affairs Sector at GCAA.

Several key topics were covered during the course, including the application of strategic planning processes and concepts in the field of civil aviation, innovation, strategy development and implementation, in addition to corporate performance management.

Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, the director general of GCAA, said: "The aviation industry is one of the main contributors to the UAE national economy, therefore strategic planning plays a pivotal role to ensure the integration of roles with consideration of changes in the context of a cohesive plan to ensure its sustained growth and alignment with the National Vision 2021."

Al Suwaidi pointed out that the UAE's aviation industry had witnessed rapid growth. The country, he said, has one of the fastest growing international airlines and its airports are one of the world's busiest airports.

The fleet size of Emirates Airlines grew from 206 aircrafts in 2013 to 252 aircrafts in 2016, while the fleet size of Air Arabia grew from 29 in 2013 aircrafts to 35 aircrafts in 2016.In addition to that, the fleet size of Flydubai grew from 32 aircrafts in 2013 to 51 aircrafts in 2016.

The number of Open Skies agreements signed by GCAA, grew from 81 in 2013 to 92 in 2016.By the end of 2016 the total number of Air Services Agreements  reached 160 agreements.

In the next 20 years, the UAE's aviation sector is expected to compete with the US and China, according to industry experts. Also, the aviation industry is expected to contribute $53 million to the country's economy in the year 2020, providing up to 750,000 jobs for both genders.

"There is no doubt that the aviation sector is set to continue its rapid growth in the next few years and we seek to build an industry that supports and contributes in developing individuals both men and women alike," remarked Laila.

"We strive to train members to work in several administrative and technical jobs through our initiatives to offer an opportunity for women in a dynamic growing sector and a pioneering career path that is continuously evolving in the region," she added.-TradeArabia News Service