The 'Aviation Safety in the UAE 2025' conference, organized by the General Civil Aviation Authority under the theme 'Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Aviation Safety: Smart Skies, Safer Journeys,' featured 10 sessions addressing the growing relationship between AI and aviation safety. The two-day event in Dubai brought together over 220 participants, 18 speakers, and experts from the nation's civil aviation community. Discussions emphasized the importance of balancing the human role with intelligent systems to ensure technology supports, rather than replaces, human decision-making in safety operations. 'The UAE is confidently building one of the world's most advanced and reliable aviation safety systems, achieving a 98.86% result in an ICAO audit, among the highest globally,' said Engineer Akheel Al Zarooni, Assistant Director General for Aviation Safety. 'This confirms that safety is not just a regulatory requirement but the cornerstone of our aviation system and a source of national pride.' He added that as AI enters aviation, it brings new challenges and powerful tools to address them, prompting a rethinking of risk assessment, decision-making, and accountability while opening vast opportunities for predicting risks before they occur and enhancing our ability to maintain safer skies than ever before. The conference also announced the winners of the 'Safety Marathon' initiative, aimed at fostering positive competition among aviation sector entities, encouraging innovative safety practices, and embedding a safety culture within organizations. This year's winners included Etihad Airways for Innovation, Rod for Customer Experience, and Dubai Airports for Operational Efficiency.
