Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Etihad Airways Engineering, the largest commercial aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services provider in the Middle East, received two prestigious honours at the Aviation Business Awards 2018 held in Dubai on Tuesday 9 October. The ‘Unsung Hero of the Year’ and ‘Engineering Innovation of the Year’ awards recognise the company’s achievements in the past 12 months, by a panel of aviation industry experts.
- ‘Unsung Hero of the Year’ awarded to Etihad Airways
Engineering’s Technical Sales and Customer Service team
- Etihad Airways Engineering wins ‘Engineering Innovation of
the Year’ award for achievements in next-generation in-flight connectivity
- Technical Training team Highly Commended in the ‘Training
Provider of the Year’ category
The Technical Sales and
Customer Service team at Etihad Airways Engineering was awarded the ‘Unsung
Hero of the Year’ award which recognised the multi-cultural team for playing a
key role in enabling the UAE’s vision to become a global aerospace hub.
The team actively
expanded the company’s global client portfolio and revenue opportunities
through its strategic vision and business development efforts, increasing its
reach to the global market. As a result, the team has been instrumental in
attracting an exponential number of tier one airlines including flag carriers
from all over the world to Abu Dhabi for aircraft maintenance across a wide
range of fleets including the Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Abdul Khaliq Saeed,
Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways Engineering said: “Our entire team has
worked tirelessly to deliver innovative operations and excellent service levels
that exceed the expectations of our customers and these awards are a testimony
to their efforts.
“Innovation and
customer service are part of our DNA and we are proud to be rewarded by the
industry for our commitment to excellence.”
The
‘Engineering Innovation of the Year’ award recognised the developments in next-generation
inflight wi-fi connectivity that Etihad Airways Engineering is currently
pioneering. The high-speed connectivity initiative has been in development for
more than two years in partnership with Yahsat, the UAE based satellite
operator.
The
technology features a highly integrated on-board network, consisting of a dual
band Ku-Ka antenna and a new generation technology broadband satellite network,
and can handle up to 200 Mbps of traffic. This technology is expected to be in
operation in 2019 and will provide airlines with the technological ability to
offer a true broadband user experience for all passengers on board.
Etihad Airways’ Technical Training team was
Highly Commended in the ‘Training Provider of the Year’ category for its
state-of-the-art training facilities and extensive training programme. In
addition, the technical training team runs a UAE National graduate training
programme, which boasts a high number of Emirati females, and develops local
talent in the field of aviation engineering.
Earlier
in the year, Etihad Airways Engineering also received the prestigious UAE
General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Aeronnovation award in the ‘Improving
Aviation Safety’ category for its ‘Fuel-Drain Doctor™’. The innovative new
technology saves up to 80 per cent of the time required for fuel and water
draining during aircraft maintenance.
Etihad Airways
Engineering’s state-of-the-art facility is located in Abu Dhabi, adjacent to
Abu Dhabi International Airport.
Aircraft hangars at the
facility cover approximately 66,000 sq metres, including 10,000 sq metres of
aircraft painting facilities and a custom-designed hangar that can accommodate
up to three Airbus A380 aircraft simultaneously. The company has successfully
completed maintenance projects over the years for airlines across the world.