Qatar Aeronautical College

Qatar Aeronautical College was founded in 1975 as the Civil Aviation College of the Gulf States, QAC is now the Gulf region’s leading provider of training for the aviation industry. We offer full-time, approved courses for Pilots, Aircraft Maintenance Engineers, Air Traffic Controllers, Meteorologists, Airport Operations Management Personnel and Flight Dispatchers, as well as short courses in a wide variety of aviation-related disciplines. Background First discussions of aviation in Qatar began as long ago as 1927. These centered on the provision of an emergency landing strip close to Doha for aircraft on international routes. With the beginning of the oil companies, a requirement for air support was identified and airstrips were laid at Doha, Dukhan, Umm Said and Al Hamla. At the same time, the strategic and commercial importance of Qatar was being recognized internationally. Air traffic to the oil companies’ strips gradually increased and with it the demand for passenger services and so, in 1952, the Gulf Aviation Company began the first scheduled services in Doha. From then on expansion was rapid, and a new runway was built to meet the requirements of international airlines operating larger passenger aircraft. Half a century later, Doha possesses one of the busiest and best-equipped airports in the Gulf, its own national airline Qatar Airways, one of the fastest-growing in the world, and a world-class training institution for the aviation industry, Qatar Aeronautical College.