Capability building is key to the Middle East’s next phase of aviation growth

Dubai: The Middle East’s aviation sector is defined by scale. It operates some of the world’s largest wide-body fleets, runs mega-hubs that connect the global economy, and makes headlines with record-breaking aircraft orders.

Yet beneath that expansion lies a fundamental challenge. The ambitions set out in national frameworks such as Saudi Vision 2030, the UAE Centennial Plan 2071, and Qatar National Vision 2030 can’t be sustained by aircraft, airports and technology alone. They depend on the people who design, maintain, and improve them. The next phase of growth in Middle East aviation will be shaped by how effectively the region develops, nurtures, and retains its technical expertise.

As a committed partner to the region and the aviation industry, we see every day why these matters. High temperatures, sand and dust place heavy demands on engines and maintenance operations. Keeping fleets flying safely and efficiently requires engineering and maintenance strategies designed for these conditions. Understanding how an engine performs in the region’s operating environment comes from combining global engineering expertise with local operational experience. That knowledge informs everything from how we mitigate dust ingestion to how we extend time on wing.

The talent requirement is just as demanding as the hardware. CAE’s 2025 Aviation Talent Forecast projects demand for close to 1.5 million new civil aviation professionals worldwide by 2034, driven by fleet growth, retirements and attrition. For commercial aviation in the Middle East, that includes an estimated 25,000 maintenance technicians, 31,000 pilots and 95,000 cabin crew.

This is an opportunity to develop a generation of local specialists who can support an increasingly complex aviation industry. Meeting that need requires more than recruitment. It requires a sustained commitment to building expertise throughout a career. To meet this demand, regional governments and airlines are already investing in MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) capability at a scale. The question is how to turn that investment into lasting expertise.

That was a central theme of the recent industry whitepaper, Advancing Strategic Alignment Across the UAE MRO Ecosystem, to which GE Aerospace contributed industry perspectives. Its premise is that the UAE can build on the substantial capabilities already in place by connecting complementary strengths more effectively. One recommendation is particularly relevant: building technical capability around career progression and knowledge retention.

That is where industry must focus its efforts. Technology transfer needs to be accompanied by practical experience and sustained knowledge sharing that enable local teams to maintain and improve complex systems. Original equipment manufacturers and global partners have a responsibility to support that development, helping engineers and technicians progress into more advanced repair, specialist engineering and leadership roles.

We are seeing this in practice. Emirates is investing US$300 million to expand its Engine Maintenance Centre in Dubai, with GE Aerospace providing technical and training consultancy to help develop piece-part component repair capabilities for GE90 and GP7200 engines. This deepens the expertise of an established regional operator and supports more complex repair work being undertaken locally. The value lies in the knowledge developed by the teams alongside the investment in facilities and equipment.

Academia has an essential role in this too. Industry and universities should co-design curricula around evolving aviation requirements, including predictive maintenance analytics and advanced MRO. Expanding apprenticeships and hands-on experience gives emerging professionals the practical grounding they need to manage complex operations. Clear career pathways then help them develop specialist skills and progress into senior technical roles.

Since aerospace technology evolves rapidly, the future workforce must remain agile and resilient to keep pace with industry growth. To ensure business continuity, we must invest in continuous, accessible in-house learning. New digital tools, advanced materials and increasingly sophisticated maintenance practices require professionals to keep adapting. Accessible in-house learning, upskilling and reskilling help a workforce keep pace with changing requirements and support safety, quality and operational performance.

Experience is the asset hardest to replace. Licensed engineers, engine technicians, reliability specialists and inspectors build their expertise over years of hands-on work. Creating opportunities for them to mentor younger colleagues preserves institutional knowledge as one generation retires and accelerates the development of the next. In an industry where safety and precision are fundamental, this transfer of experience matters as much as the introduction of new technology.

Strengthening local capability builds on the international expertise that helped make the region a global aviation hub. We’ve seen that the most meaningful innovations come from collaborative environments, where a diverse workforce is given the freedom to experiment, share ideas, and tackle complex regional problems without fear of failure. The opportunity is to bring that expertise together with the region’s growing capabilities, enabling more professionals here to contribute to improving and developing aviation technology.

For that to happen, collaboration needs to extend from education and practical training through to research and career development. People need opportunities to apply what they learn, share their experience and solve the operational challenges facing the region’s airlines and maintenance providers.

While record-breaking aircraft orders will continue to make headlines, the true differentiator for this region will be the technical experts we develop alongside them. The future of flight is within reach; we must now ensure we equip the local minds to lead it.