Working Lives: United Arab Emirates
Hamda al-Qubaisi represents a new wave of working Emiratis. Aged 26, she is a first officer for Etihad Airways and regularly piloting an Airbus A320 on short-haul flights around the region.
Like many of her compatriots who have shared in their country’s vast oil wealth, she has no need to work, but she says: “I want to work. I want to give back to my country because they’ve given so much to me.”
She spotted an advert in a newspaper for trainee pilots, applied and was accepted for Etihad’s training scheme, which is fully paid for by the government.
“I couldn’t have become a pilot without this funding,” she says. “If it was based abroad I don’t think my family would’ve allowed it.
“I just applied to tease my brothers. I told them that I wanted to be a pilot and they said you cannot do it. So from that point I thought I have to do it, I have to prove that they’re wrong.”
Aviation is a key part of the government’s goals to diversify the economy beyond oil dependency.
The UAE is riding a boom in long-haul travel, particularly between Asia and the West, providing a prime stopover.
Dubai is now the busiest airport in the world but Abu Dhabi is home to the national carrier, Etihad one of the world’s fastest-growing airlines.
The more challenging part for Ms al-Qubaisi has been making her way in a male-dominated working industry
“I always do double the effort of my male colleagues to show them I can do the job. Eventually I want to be a captain. I love flying. Everyday there’s a different view.”
Source: www.bbc.com