MEDIA RELEASE
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016
Saudi Arabian air traffic controllers graduate in New Zealand
A group of Saudi Arabian students have graduated from air traffic control studies with Airways New Zealand today, as the
organisation helps to fill a critical gap globally for training of air traffic controllers.
The 26 students graduated at a ceremony at Massey University in Palmerston North, marking the completion of a successful
two-year investment by the General Authority of Civil Aviation of Saudi Arabia (GACA), and the Saudi Arabian National
Guard.
The students arrived in January 2015 and spent their first year in New Zealand studying English with Nelson Marlborough
Institute of Technology (NMIT) and Kaplan International College in Auckland. They then started a 12-month air traffic
control (ATC) course at Airways' purpose-built training facility on the Massey University campus in Palmerston North.
In the past year Airways has trained about 150 ab-initio ATC students in New Zealand and at overseas campuses through
its international training programmes, Airways Training General Manager Sharon Cooke says.
“This is the third group of GACA students trained in New Zealand over the past five years. We’re pleased to be providing
top quality training services for overseas students, and at the same time helping to alleviate the current global
shortage of air traffic controllers. This is a particular issue in the Middle East where air traffic growth is expected
to continue,” she says.
“We’re proud of our ongoing relationship with GACA which continues to send trainees to Airways due to the success of our
programme. To date, all trainees have successfully completed on-job-training to become licenced ATCs once returning
home,” Ms Cooke says.
Ahmed Algharawi, one of the graduating students, says he enjoyed the pace and style of learning and living in New
Zealand.
“It was a bit of a shock coming to Nelson at first because my English wasn’t as good as it is now, but living with a
homestay family really helped me improve. Living in New Zealand took some getting used to but now I’m going to find it
hard to leave.”
To help students adjust to living and learning in New Zealand, Airways used social media to create a learning community
with the students before they arrived and while studying, with a dedicated Facebook page supporting them on anything
from questions about their studies to their homestay environment and the culture in New Zealand.
The students will now return to Saudi Arabia to begin their on-the-job training through GACA and Saudi Arabian National
Guard.
Airways has worked in the Middle East region for more than 10 years, primarily delivering ATC ab-initio training and
recruitment solutions within the United Arab Emirates.
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About Airways New Zealand
Airways is a world-leading commercial Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP), and operates in New Zealand as a
State-Owned Enterprise (SOE).
We look after key aviation infrastructure around New Zealand and manage the more than 1 million traffic movements per
year into and around New Zealand’s 30 million square kilometres of airspace.
Airways provides air traffic control and engineering training, and has delivered air traffic management, Flight yield
revenue management solutions, navigation services and consultancy in more than 65 countries.
For more information about Airways please visit www.airways.co.nz