Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways will recruit up to 2,000 pilots, cabin crew and mechanics this year as it prepares for expansion in 2025 when the airline plans to add 15 more planes to its fleet.

"We're going to be hiring about 1,500 to 2,000 people this year to prepare for 2025," Antonoaldo Neves, CEO of Etihad Airways, said.

"In 2025, we are getting 15 more planes. And I need pilots, mechanics, and flight attendants for those planes. So, the second half of this year is going to be all about training pilots and flight attendants for 2025."

Etihad will boost the number of flights, frequencies, and destinations as it seeks to capitalise on the positive momentum seen in passenger traffic last year. The airline's passenger load factor rose to 86 per cent in 2023, up from 82 per cent in 2022.

On Wednesday, Etihad announced its results for 2023, recording a total revenue of Dh20.3 billion, a net profit of Dh525 million, and Dh1.4 billion operating result, driven by Dh4 billion year-on-year growth in passenger revenue.

Lack of planes

Neves expects the passenger demand to continue and hopes to deliver new planes on time.

"I want more people flying. For that, I want more planes. The lack of planes in the market is a problem. So, that's making the load factors very high. In March, in six days, my load factors are 92 per cent. It's crazy."

Neves is optimistic about tripling the passenger number from 10 million in 2022 to more than 30 million by 2030. "The journey ahead of us is amazing. We're on the right track to triple the size of the airline and catch about 30 to 33 million passengers in the next six years. In 2024, we are going to be growing something from 25 to 30 per cent. If we get the planes, there is no reason why we wouldn't be able to deliver 17 million passengers [in 2024]," the CEO underlined.

40% Emirati pilots

Etihad is focusing on developing Emirati talents with specialised development programmes as well as a cadet pilot and technical engineering training.

"We take Emiratisation very seriously. We train Emirati pilots from scratch. We have a programme for engineers and mechanics to be trained."

The CEO hopes to see more Emirati pilots join the airline in the coming years.

"I would have at least one-third of the pilots being Emiratis. They're great pilots. They love to carry the flag across the globe. We hope to see 35 to 40 per cent Emirati pilots. I have 300 pilots per year, and I want at least 70 to 100 to be Emiratis. It's difficult. Pilots are very difficult to find, but we are on the right track," Neves highlighted.

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