Riyadh Air Graduates First Saudi Women Aircraft Engineers

Riyadh Air has graduated its first cohort of 26 Saudi female aircraft maintenance engineers in a ceremony held at the airline's headquarters in Riyadh in August 2026, attended by senior executives and the graduates' families.

The graduates completed an Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Diploma developed in partnership with Colleges of Excellence and the International Aviation Technical College in Riyadh. The structured vocational program runs for about 30 months and qualifies participants as aircraft engineering technicians in line with international aviation standards.

Entry to the program was targeted at Saudi high-school graduates with high GPAs, selected from thousands of applicants through the airline's talent selection processes and partnerships with technical colleges. The initiative is supported by a memorandum of understanding with Colleges of Excellence to run a first-of-its-kind female training program in engineering and maintenance, combining classroom study, workshop sessions, and hands-on training.

In parallel, the International Aviation Technical College in Riyadh graduated 1,611 trainees in aircraft engineering and maintenance for the 2025–2026 training year, including 48 Saudi female graduates in engineering and maintenance fields.

Why it matters

The milestone expands the national technical workforce and supports the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 for women's empowerment in aviation and technical roles. To work as licensed engineers or technicians in the Kingdom, graduates are expected to hold a valid aircraft maintenance license, such as GACA A/P, FAA A/P, or EASA B1, and to earn specific type ratings on aircraft like the Boeing 787 GEnx or Airbus A321 for certain engineering roles.

The graduation forms part of a broader Riyadh Air workforce strategy that includes a female employment track in maintenance and engineering, specialized bachelor's scholarships in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering under the Saudi Aviation Scholarship Program, and the Nawat talent programs covering cabin crew and engineering pathways.

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