Bird & Bird has sealed the hire of former Air Arabia group general counsel Anna Anatolitou in a boost for its burgeoning Middle East operations.

Anatolitou has joined the firm's aviation and disputes practice in the Middle East and will split her time between its Dubai and Abu Dhabi offices.

She was a senior associate at Norton Rose, now known as Norton Rose Fulbright, before joining budget airline group Air Arabia in 2011.

During her time at airline, Anatolitou oversaw legal and insurance claims for the group's portfolio of companies, which include Air Arabia Egypt, Air Arabia Maroc and Radisson Blu Dubai Marina hotel.

Bird & Bird aviation group co-head Paul Briggs said: "Now [Anatolitou] has joined, we have practical 'touching the metal' capability in the Middle East to advise airlines, insurers, MROs, lessors and investors on all legal issues. Our international aviation sector group has grown considerably over the past ten years and will continue to keep growing."

Bird & Bird opened its Dubai office last November, transferring Stockholm partner Anders Nilsson to oversee the operation.

The Dubai office was set up to serve the firm's growing list of clients in the Emirate, following recent client wins including Huawei, PepsiCo, healthcare software specialists TPP and the Supreme Committee for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

The firm first opened in Abu Dhabi in 2011 to develop practices in the aviation, media and sports sectors in the region, as well as offer advice in the aerospace, defence, security and communications industries.