The Middle East chapter of the Women in Aviation General Assembly (WIA), part of the world’s largest non-profit organisation dedicated to aviation and aerospace, is set to hold its upcoming General Assembly alongside the 4th Global Airports Forum (GAF) in Riyadh on 16 December.
The gathering arrives at a moment when Saudi Arabia is seeing notable momentum in women’s participation across the aviation sector. The event will take place at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre (RICEC), with Red Sea International joining as Gold Sponsor and Gulf Air named as Marketing Partner. Riyadh Air, Turkish Airline, and flyadeal are confirmed as Airline Partners, while Supporting Partners include Boeing, Alwayse Engineering Solutions, Nth Consulting Group, and Elevate (her).
More than 500 delegates are expected to attend the Assembly. Several major institutions are preparing to send sizable delegations, among them Prince Sultan University (PSU), Oxford Flight Academy, National Aviation Academy, Princess Noura University, King Saud University, Imam Muhamad Ibn Saud Islamic University, DAA International, and Saudia Group.
Daksha Patel, Event Director at Niche Ideas, the organiser behind GAF, pointed to the need for deeper industry-wide engagement on women’s participation. She said: “There is a need to find out viable ways to enhance the presence of qualified and talented women across airports and other aviation domains. In the Middle East region, the representation of female pilots, air traffic controllers, and maintenance technicians is still disproportionately low and regional authorities and stakeholders are putting in place broad initiatives to improve this.”
Mervat Sultan, President-Founder of WIA’s Middle East Chapter and Co-Founder of Ramjet Co and FltCtrl Ltd, noted that the organisation remains focused on elevating women’s roles. She remarked: “We remain focused on enhancing the presence of women professionals in the aviation industry. As Saudi Arabia aims for aviation to be a key driver of its rapid economic growth, aviation stakeholders should collaborate to foster meaningful diversity and inclusivity. Several organizations are working tirelessly to enhance female participation in the aviation domain and we applaud these efforts.”
The Assembly will open with a formal ceremony before moving into keynote addresses by Andrew Smith, CEO at Red Sea International Airport, and Eng. Wahhaj Hamed Motawie, President of the Saudi Academy of Civil Aviation. The programme will then shift to the presentation of the WIA Awards, which span ten categories. These include Sustainable Women Empowerment Initiative, Global Women Empowerment, Pioneer in Female Aviation, Groundbreaking Women Empowerment, Leadership Women Empowerment Award, Distinguished Women Empowerment, Best Training Centre Support, and the Women in Aviation Empowerment Champion Award. A series of scholarships will also be revealed during the event.
One of the headline sessions will be delivered by Sarah Alfaiz, Director for Strategic Planning and Intelligence at MATARAT Holding, the entity overseeing 27 civilian airports across the Kingdom. Alfaiz will speak about how women are shaping the future of Saudi aviation and “the impact of female leadership in aviation under Vision 2030.”
Later in the day, a panel discussion titled “Smart Aviation: Women Pioneering the Digital Take-off” will examine how digital transformation is influencing the aviation industry and the ways women professionals are driving this shift. Key topics are expected to include smart airport systems, AI-led operational models, and new aviation technologies. The session will be moderated by Dr Eng. Suaad Al Shamsi, Board Member at WIA Middle East Chapter.
The speaker line-up for the panel features Amal Hejles, Digital Strategy Director at MATARAT Holding; Buthaina Al Ghunaim, Airworthiness Engineer at Gulf Air; Eng. Rana Algowaiz, Executive Director at Saudia Cargo; Rawan Aljehani, Head of Digital, Data, and Business Intelligence at flyadeal; Swati Unnikrishnan, Consulting Director – Middle East, Africa and Turkey at SITA; and Malak Alzahrani, Business Applications Lead at JedCO.
The Assembly will also hear from Egypt’s Captain Nevin Mahmoud Darwish, known for becoming the first Arab female pilot to command an Airbus A380 in July 2017 for Emirates Airlines. The Airbus A380 remains the world’s largest and heaviest passenger airliner and the only full-length double-deck jet airliner.
Reflecting on her participation, Captain Nevin said: “I am honored to present my keynote at the Global Airports Forum and WIA General Assembly in Riyadh among aviation pioneers and the next generation of dreamers. Sharing my 35 years of experience in the aviation industry, I hope to highlight the vital role of women in shaping the future of aviation and inspiring future generations to dream big and aim high, no dream is out of reach.”
