na04 pilots butchers
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Pilots Jerome Stubbs, left, and Michiel Smit, have taken up a new temporary profession as butchers while on unpaid leave. Photos by Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Dressed in a white butcher’s coat, the four captains don a signature set of epaulets, which makes them hard to miss when passing by the meat counter at the Organic Foods and Café in Dubai. -
The pilots-turned-butchers, from South Africa, Italy and the UK, have been working in their new roles on a temporary work permit since March. -
Under the agreement, the four pilots work five days a week, including some weekends, and can be released back to their airline at any given time. -
Michiel Smit says the biggest challenge has been getting used to standing on his feet all day. -
The pilots were put on unpaid leave for one year in November due to the travel disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. -
Michiel Smit prepares some chicken at the meat counter. -
Jerome Stubbs, a proud South African, enjoys prepping and preparing biltong while on shift at the store in Cityland Mall in Dubai. -
Jerome Stubbs, 50, started training to be a pilot when he was 27-years-old. -
Each day the pilots prepare the meat displays and serve customers at the Organic Foods and Cafe store in Cityland Mall. -
The pilots are fortunate enough to still have their rent, medical and educational benefits covered by Emirates. -
Michiel Smit, left, and Jerome Stubbs on shift at the Organic Foods and Cafe in Dubai. -
Dressed in a white butcher’s coat, the four captains don a signature set of epaulets, which makes them hard to miss when passing by the meat counter at the Organic Foods and Café in Dubai.
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