Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has announced the appointment of Captain Salah Awadh Alfarjalla Al Ameri as Vice President of Aviation Security and Cadet Pilot Development.

A United Arab Emirates national, Captain Al Ameri will ensure Etihad’s compliance with international aviation rules and regulations governing airline security. His responsibilities will also include overseeing the cadet pilot training program and developing career plans for Emirati pilots.

Captain Al Ameri has over 30 years’ experience in the aviation industry. He is a retired Colonel of the UAE Air Force and Defence Force where he served for over 21 years. He joins Etihad from Emirates Airlines where he held the position of Line Captain on the A330 and A340 fleet.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ Chief Executive Officer, said: “I am delighted to welcome Captain Salah to Etihad. His vast amount of experience and expertise will be invaluable in these key operational areas.

“We have a growing number of Emiratis in senior roles across our network and have recently increased our efforts to directly recruit skilled UAE nationals, with a target of 75 per cent of new Emirati employees drawn from this talent pool.”

The Etihad Airways Emiratisation Program offers a wide range of training opportunities for UAE Nationals, including a cadet pilot scheme, a technical engineering development program and a graduate management development program.

Etihad’s Emiratisation program has more than 150 UAE national trainees deployed across the airline, including 115 cadet pilots, 29 graduate managements and 29 technical engineers.