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Emirates Is Preparing To Build A $135 Million Pilot-Training Facility

The new center will have six full-flight simulator bays for the airline’s future Airbus A350 and Boeing 777X aircraft.

Published

2 years ago

February 21, 2023

Nour Nasir

Emirates

After the pandemic caused a global tourism slump, the travel sector is now well on the road to recovery. Strong demand for air travel means that key industry players are scrambling to hire fresh cabin staff and pilots. To tackle the problem, Emirates has just announced that it intends to build a new training facility, which will span 5,882 square meters and open in March 2024.

The new high-tech center will be equipped with six flight simulator bays and fully-customizable cockpit environments for the new Airbus A350 and Boeing 777X aircraft, also arriving in 2024.

Also Read: Saudi Arabia To Transform Downtown Riyadh By 2030

“The building will be equipped with the latest, technologically advanced simulators to provide the best training for pilots while using solar power to reduce energy consumption,” says Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline and Group.

According to Emirates, flight training capacity will be increased by 54% annually with the addition of the new center, and the airline plans to hire 400 pilots and up to 6,000 cabin crew by mid-2023.

Related Topics:Aviation Emirates Airline

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Saudi EV Adoption Accelerates With BYD Expansion & Tesla Launch

Saudi Arabia’s EV market is gaining momentum as BYD plans major showroom growth and Tesla establishes a foothold in Riyadh.

Published

2 days ago

July 16, 2025

Nour Nasir

saudi ev adoption accelerates with byd expansion and tesla launch

Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to become a regional hub for electric mobility are drawing greater investment from global automakers. As part of Vision 2030, the Kingdom is targeting 30% electric vehicle (EV) adoption in the capital, Riyadh, by the end of the decade — an objective that’s now shaping the strategic interests of international EV brands.

Chinese manufacturer BYD is planning a substantial thrust into the Saudi market, building on its current footprint of three showrooms. According to Jerome Saigot, BYD’s managing director in the Kingdom, the company aims to open 10 showrooms by the end of 2026.

“Saudi Arabia is a complex market. You need to go fast. You need to think big,” Saigot recently told reporters. “We are not here to stay at 5,000 or 10,000 cars a year”.

The announcement follows Tesla’s entry into the Saudi EV space, with the US automaker opening its first showroom in Riyadh in April. Tesla joins early players like BYD and Geely in what remains a nascent but strategically important segment for the Kingdom.

The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) has also ramped up its electric mobility agenda. Its efforts include major investments in Lucid Motors, the creation of local EV brand Ceer, and support for the rollout of national charging infrastructure.

Also Read: Twitch Launches Arabic Right-To-Left Interface For Web & Mobile

However, electric vehicles still only account for just over 1% of total car sales in Saudi Arabia, according to data from PwC cited by Bloomberg. Key challenges include high upfront costs, limited public charging access, and the added complexity of operating in extreme heat conditions.

In spite of those hurdles, Saigot views Tesla’s entry as a net positive. “The more Tesla communicates on marketing, the better it is for us,” he said. Saigot joined BYD in April, having previously held executive roles at Nissan and Great Wall Motor.

With multiple brands scaling up activity in parallel — and government-backed infrastructure investment underway — Saudi Arabia’s EV sector appears set for rapid acceleration over the next few years.