UAE creates global aviation awards

Supporting the No Country Left Behind Programme, the first awards will be presented during the 40th ICAO General Assembly that will be held in 2019

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Since the first commercial flight arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 1932, the UAE aviation sector has flourished. The UAE is now home to one of the world’s busiest international airports and the largest international airlines. The aviation industry is a major contributor to the UAE economy and has the potential to become a major source of the UAE’s post-oil-diversification portfolio.

Recently the UAE announced that the Emirates Flight Information Region (FIR) will be transformed into the world’s first airspace structure to be completely based on Performance-Based Navigation (PBN). The UAE has also been exhibiting regional and international leadership through its Cooperation Programmes and by maintaining a seat at the ICAO Council. The State is also ranked as the top ICAO Member State in compliance level with ICAO requirements under the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP).

Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General, UAE General Civil Aviation Authority

The UAE’s global aviation success story is thanks in large part to the visionary leadership of the UAE’s Vice President and Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and his passion for aviation and the significance placed on aviation toward wider global economic development.

In just a few decades the aviation sector has had a transformative effect on the UAE economy, and we believe that it is time to celebrate the achievements of the aviation industry globally and to acknowledge and promote the far-reaching impacts that aviation has on global trade thanks to the connectivity that it affords.

The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority believes that ICAO’s No Country Left Behind (NCLB) initiative presents an opportunity for an award scheme that rewards the development of the aviation industry across the board. With this in view, they launched the Mohammed Bin Rashid “Global Aviation Awards” to coincide with the triennial ICAO Assembly in Montréal, Canada.

The objective of the award scheme is to provide a platform to connect and improve relations with Least Developed States (LDS), support the ICAO Strategic Objective of increased global connectivity, support global aviation plans for development, and promote innovation and liberalization across the industry globally.
The award scheme consists of six distinct categories, each designed to support these objectives and represent the unique mix that is the aviation business. The categories will include:

  • State with Most Improved Quality of Aviation Infrastructure
  • Outstanding Global Connectivity Award
  • Outstanding Resource Contribution to ICAO Programmes
  • Outstanding International Cooperation Programme
  • Aviation Personality of the Triennium
  • Innovation Award (encompassing aviation safety, security, sustainability, passenger experience)