Serco Middle East awarded contract extension by Sharjah Civil Aviation

Dubai, UAE, On January 10^th, 2018: The Department of Civil Aviation, Sharjah signed a further 1 year contract extension with the Serco ME, effective March 1st 2018 for the provision of Air Traffic Services.

 The contract signing ceremony was held at Sharjah Civil Aviation .H.E. Sheikh Khalid Isam Al Qassimi, Chairman of the Department of Civil Aviation-Sharjah signed the contract with the Serco ME CEO, Mr David Greer. The contract signing is testament to the proud tradition and close relationship that has developed between the two organisations spanning a 60-year period, a truly remarkable achievement in the modern world of competitive outsourcing. Today, that relationship continues with Serco working along-side the Sharjah DCA in support of the expansion & development of the Sharjah Air Traffic Services infrastructure and development of the Emirati youth that will carry the aviation industry forward into tomorrow.

As part of a broader 5 year programme, Serco and Sharjah DCA have consolidated and reorganised Aeronautical Information Services (AIS) and ATC assistant duties into one department, Aeronautical Information Management (AIM). As part of the collaboration, the entire AIS system was revamped, instituting extensive training programmes for the existing staff and cross-training each one into all 3 specialties. The result of these efforts is a centralised and more efficient service and increased competence and expertise of the staff. Serco simultaneously embarked on an aggressive Emiratisation programme to bring Emirati youth into the aviation industry and explore their opportunities for professional development and career advancement. This initiative has increased the number of Emirati staff employed by Serco by 20% and will continue to grow as the programme matures.

H.E. Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi, Chairman of the Department of Civil Aviation-Sharjah commented: “We are delighted to extend our partnership with Serco through this new contract. Serco has long track record of providing high quality air traffic services, which will help us to meet the exciting challenges of increasing traffic through Sharjah International Airport. The contract will also ensure an increasing emphasis on the training of Emiratis into key roles in the Air Traffic Services".

David J. Greer OBE, CEO, Serco Middle East commented, “The continued partnership between the Sharjah DCA and Serco demonstrates the trust and confidence our customer has in Serco as their preferred ATS provider and we look forward to supporting DCA in building on the success story of Sharjah Aviation in the years to come on this important ATS contract”.