UAE: 77 pilots graduate from Emirates' flight training academy

Emirates airline is planning to target 5,000 pilots in the next 8 to 10 years, Adel Al Redha, Deputy President and COO of Emirates Airline, told reporters.

On Tuesday, 77 flight cadets graduated from the Emirates Flight Training Academy (EFTA), with 52 Emirati graduates representing the Emirates Group's UAE National Pilot Cadet Programme. This brings the total number of graduates from EFTA to over 300 highly skilled pilots. 

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The graduate pool represented the diversity of the pilots, with the other 25 representing 15 other countries. EFTA also honoured five cadets for their exceptional achievements throughout the year: Abdulrahman Alnuaimi, Falah Alhosani, Giada Macario and Shaheer Bhatti. Saeed Abdulla was recognised for being the most diligent.

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‘Worth the hard work’

Macario told Khaleej Times that after three years of training at EFTA, both on the ground and in the sky, graduating and getting recognised for her exceptional achievements was “the best gift that God could give me and give us,” she said.

For the high achiever, studying for prolonged hours and putting in the hard work proved to be worth it in the end. “Even though we had some days where all our classes lasted till 4pm, we had the energy to go back and study. Because we knew that at the end, this is the result,” she said.

Among the 77 graduates, all donning clean suits and ties, Yousif Al Ali’s younger brother stood out. The seven-year-old surprised his brother by wearing the Emirates’ pilot costume. “I was shocked and didn’t expect to see him in the suit,” Yousif commented.

For Yousif, the academy wasn’t very difficult, contrary to popular belief. “They say it's hard, but no, it's not hard. It just takes time (and) you have to put effort into the subjects,” he said. Students usually train in ground school and flight school. There are three phases for the ground school, and in each phase, students must pass four to five subjects.

After the graduation, cadets will undergo more training in Boeing and Airbus aircrafts. Initially, the academy began its training program for Emirati nationals only but later opened its doors for international students.

Hind Aldah

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hind@khaleejtimes.com

Hind Aldah covers business, tech, crypto and all that jazz for a younger audience. In her spare time, you will find her playing classical guitar, painting amateur oil paintings, or crocheting the same old scarf that leads nowhere.