WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017 takes off

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, and the official airline partner of WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017, is taking the world’s greatest vocational education and skills excellence event to the skies.

Stickers promoting WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017 are currently being added to the passenger doors of 43 jets – including eight Airbus A380s and 35 Airbus A320s. These form a significant portion of the Etihad fleet, and this promotion means that potentially millions of travellers will be able to see the event’s logo between now and October.

This is a key component of an ongoing campaign to raise awareness and engagement around WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017 in the UAE and beyond. 

The stickers are being installed on aeroplanes over the coming weeks. The aircraft adorned with the WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017 logo will be in service on some of the carrier’s busiest routes, including to New York, London, Sydney, and Mumbai. This partnership reflects the global dimension of WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017, which will bring competitors, industry leaders and experts, policy makers, governmental representatives from more than 70 countries to the UAE in October.

At the announcement of Etihad’s role as WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017’s official airline, Peter Baumgartner, the airline’s Chief Executive Officer said, “It is a great honour to be named as an official partner of such a prestigious Competition. Abu Dhabi is a thoroughly modern city which is fast becoming one of the world’s most exciting tourism and commercial hubs. The event will provide the perfect opportunity for those attending to experience the very best of Arabian hospitality, while enjoying state-of-the-art facilities and modern infrastructure in a thriving and cosmopolitan city.”

Hala Abu Dhabi, the destination management division of Etihad Airways, has also been named as the Competition’s Customer Service Management partner.

WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017, the world’s largest vocational skills competition, is open to the public free of charge at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from 15–18 October, with Opening and Closing ceremonies held at the du Arena on 14 and 19 October.

This is the 44th WorldSkills Competition, and WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017 will be the first time that the event has been held in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

About 10,000 international visitors are expected, while a record-breaking 1,300 Competitors are registered in 51 skill competitions. About 100,000 UAE visitors, mostly young people, will attend over the four days of competition, while teams are drawn from the 77 Member countries and regions of WorldSkills International, with Palestine and Romania expected to participate in a WorldSkills Competition for the first time.