In a UAE first, Etihad Airways has committed to increasing its female workforce by 25 per cent over the next five years. The move follows the IATA’s ‘25by2025’ campaign, a push to make the airline industry more gender-balanced.
Member airlines who have joined the movement have pledged to improve female representation in their organisations by 25 per cent, or up to a minimum of 25 per cent across that time frame.
Etihad’s announcement follows a slew of over 60 airlines, including Lufthansa, Air France and KLM. The move was designed to coincide with International Women’s Day, which came on 8 March.
Etihad Aviation Group chief executive Tony Douglas said, “We are so proud to already have thousands of strong, ambitious and talented women working with us. We are excited to continue our journey of investing in gender diversity and human development as ultimately, this leads to a more engaged workforce and a high performing financial environment.”
The airline said that more than 36 per cent of its employees in managerial positions (and half of UAE national staff) are female. IATA data, on the other hand, shows that 96 per cent of aviation-related executive roles in the Middle East are held by men.
Etihad already runs a number of programs across the group’s seven business divisions (including operations, cargo, and engineering), which ensure women are well integrated into its workforce.
According to the IATA website, airlines committing to 25by2025 will report annually on key diversity metrics to the IATA World Air Transport Summit.
