By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
When Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally unveiled the Kingdom’s new National Carrier on March 12, 2023, it marked far more than the launch of an airline.
It was a strategic national milestone, one tied to economic diversification, global competitiveness, and the Kingdom’s ambition to become one of the world’s leading aviation hubs.
Central to this vision was the creation of a modern, efficient, and globally competitive fleet.
At the heart of that responsibility stood Nigerian-born aerospace engineer, Professor and Pilot, Shiekuma Gemade.
For Saudi Arabia, launching a new national carrier was both economic strategy and national security imperative.
Around the world, flag airlines serve as symbols of identity, engines of tourism, conduits of trade, and crucial elements of emergency response.
Understanding this, The Kingdom sought not just aircraft, but expertise, talent capable of designing a fleet foundation strong enough to support over 100 destinations by 2030.
That search led to Shiekuma Gemade, whose two decades of hands-on global experience made him uniquely suited for one of the most consequential aviation assignments of the decade.
His path to aviation leadership was forged from the ground up, shaped by hands-on experience in airports and on aircraft, long before he was advising boards or negotiating billion-dollar contracts.
Over the years, he ascended to influential roles at major airlines and aircraft leasing companies across North America, Europe, and the Middle East, cultivating a rare combination of technical and commercial insight paired with deep operational expertise.
As Head of Fleet (Planning, Acquisitions and Aircraft Programmes) for the National Carrier, Gemade was tasked with building three critical divisions from scratch: Fleet Planning & Transactions, Aircraft Programmes and the Service Ready Team.
Together, these units shaped long-term fleet strategy, engineered cabin layouts, oversaw manufacturing, ensured regulatory compliance and prepared aircraft for delivery.
He also led the airline’s Air Operator Certificate (AOC) Aircraft Plan, an intensive, globally coordinated process involving OEM engagement, maintenance alignment and cross-border regulatory approvals.
Under his leadership, the airline selected and ordered almost 200 next-generation aircraft, the bedrock of the modern fleet that included Boeing 787 Dreamliners, Airbus A321neo’s and, later, A350s, balancing efficiency, sustainability and passenger comfort.
His approach ensured the fleet was not only operative, but globally competitive.
His work is more than a personal triumph. It is a reminder of what Nigerian talent can achieve on the global stage, exemplified by precision, leadership and world-class expertise powering the fleet of a national dream.
