Air services giant dnata is making a recruiting push at Ru'ya Careers UAE, running at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 28 to 30 September. The company, part of the Emirates Group, is using the fair to showcase career paths for Emiratis across airport operations, travel services, engineering, safety and its overseas businesses.
The numbers behind the pitch are the interesting part. UAE Nationals currently hold 111 different roles at dnata, from frontline airport jobs to specialist and leadership positions. They stay, too: the average tenure among Emirati employees is roughly 12 years, and nearly two-thirds have passed the decade mark with the company. Since 2021, almost 100 Emirati staff have been promoted or moved into upgraded roles, and Emirati talent now leads key functions in the UAE and abroad, including airport operations, customer experience, technical services and international operations.
Emirati women make up more than half of dnata's UAE National workforce in Dubai, a detail the company highlighted as evidence of its inclusive hiring. Hana Al Awadhi, Senior Vice President for HR Business Partnerships, framed the appeal as breadth: people join with different ambitions and often end up in directions they never expected, with many rising into leadership.
So what's actually on offer? Entry routes span development pathways for high school graduates, graduate management programmes and direct roles for experienced professionals. Once in, employees can access leadership development schemes, secondments, global mobility assignments, support for further education and spots on government leadership initiatives. If those words sound corporate, the practical upshot is that dnata positions itself as a career employer rather than a job — internal moves and international postings are part of the pitch.
Anyone attending can find the team on the Emirates Group's 300-square-metre stand in Zabeel Hall 3, Legacy Hall, stand Z3-1. Families are welcome, which fits the fair's broader vibe as a national-talents showcase rather than a straight CV-drop exercise.
Who should care? For Emirati jobseekers and students weighing aviation, travel or hospitality careers, this is a direct line to one of the region's biggest travel employers at a free-to-attend event. For travellers, it's a reminder that the people handling your bags, boarding and holiday bookings across the Emirates Group ecosystem are increasingly homegrown — and that the region's travel industry is investing in long-term local expertise, not just short-term staffing.
If you're in Dubai during the fair, it's worth a wander even if you're not job hunting: Ru'ya typically brings together major UAE employers, and the Emirates Group stand is one of the largest on the floor.
