Abu Dhabi brings top graduates to new terminal ORAT programme

Abu Dhabi Airports has selected 19 candidates from its National Development Programme (NDP) to join its Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer (ORAT) team, which was launched earlier this year to prepare the Midfield Terminal Building for operations.
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The candidates were selected based on their educational qualifications and performance in the NDP at Abu Dhabi Airports. The move to the ORAT team will give them the opportunity to engage in on-site training and experience to enable them play their role in operating the new terminal once it comes on line, the airport said. 

The Abu Dhabi Airports board of directors invited the candidates to its most recent board meeting, which was held at the MTB site, in one of the piers.
Chairman, Awaidah Murshed Al Marrar, said: “This move is not only significant for these young national elites, but also for us at Abu Dhabi Airports, as we know we can only deliver a sustainable aviation industry by empowering and training the youth of this nation to become their future leaders. We are building one of the largest airport terminals in the world, with the some of the most advanced technologies and services available, and we need the best people to run to ensure its success.”
The ORAT programme is a detailed testing phase of all aspects of the airport’s operations, set out to ensure a smooth transition once the new terminal is opened.
With the MTB opening planned for 2019, Abu Dhabi Airports launched the operation of the ORAT earlier this year by creating 14 working groups that will look at the various functions of the airport. These groups are: terminal & landside operations, airside and ramp operations, aviation security, baggage handling, FM and support facilities, recruitment and training, logistics and contracts, airport management center, systems, process trials, relocation and transfer, fire and life safety, testing and commissioning coordination, and risk management.
The selected NDP graduates will join these various working groups, and more graduates will continue to join as the programme evolves and the opening of the terminal gets closer.
Abu Dhabi Airports launched the NDP in 2013 as an initiative to attract young UAE graduates to the aviation industry, and train and integrate them into the various airport professions. The programme runs for 18 months per cycle, and to date the company has attracted 92 joiners since the launch of the programme.