Gabriel Semelas: the skills behind aviation growth

Oxford Business Group’s Saudi Arabia 2025 report interviews Gabriel Semelas, identified as president of Airbus Africa and Middle East, on aviation’s role in economic diversification.

He argues that capacity growth must be supported by reliable operations, safety, regulation and skilled people. Aerospace localisation, in his account, requires supply-chain quality and lasting technical partnerships. He identifies aligned university programmes, certified training, apprenticeships and international knowledge exchange as important workforce-development routes.