Etihad Airways has been on a hiring spree over the past three months. Photo: Etihad
Etihad Airways has been on a hiring spree over the past three months. Photo: Etihad
Etihad Airways has been on a hiring spree over the past three months. Photo: Etihad
Etihad Airways has been on a hiring spree over the past three months. Photo: Etihad

Etihad Airways begins recruitment drive in Dubai as air travel rebounds


Deena Kamel
  • English
  • Arabic

Etihad Airways started a recruitment drive for cabin crew in Dubai on Monday as it looks to expand its workforce and ramp up operations in response to a rebound in air travel demand.

Interested applicants can register and submit their CVs at Dusit Thani Dubai on Monday, the airline said. Selected applicants will then be invited to attend assessment days on June 14 and June 15.

"With operations ramping up for a busy summer season and new Airbus A350s entering the fleet, Etihad Airways is currently recruiting for roles across the business in 2022," an Etihad Airways representative said.

Etihad Airways has been in the process of hiring an additional 1,000 employees, from cabin crew to ground staff, over the past three months, Tony Douglas, chief executive of the Etihad Aviation Group, said in May.

At the end of 2021, Etihad's total workforce stood at 12,533 employees.

The airline expects to deliver a strong performance in the first half of 2022 on higher load factors, strong passenger yields, solid cargo business and lower costs, Mr Douglas told The National last month.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline is currently operating three Airbus A350 passenger jets, following the aircraft's maiden flight on March 31, and plans to introduce two additional A350s into service by the end of the year, Mr Douglas said.

The airline's representative said the airline was offering a "competitive salary and benefits package for cabin crew that not only includes modern accommodation and travel allowances, but the opportunity to learn and grow, see the world and be part of an internationally recognised and award-winning team".

Global airlines are starting to rebound from a two-year slump in air travel after the onset of Covid-19 as border restrictions are eased around the world.

However, staff shortages at airlines and airports have led to severe disruptions at some hubs, resulting in cancelled flights and long security queues.

After waves of job cuts at the peak of the pandemic, rehiring staff fast enough to meet recovering demand has become the industry's latest challenge.

Staffing shortages could become the industry's Achilles' heel, forcing airlines to cut capacity and hampering their ability to serve the stronger-than-expected rebound in travel demand.

Overall travel demand worldwide, measured in revenue passenger kilometres, was up 78.7 per cent annually in April and slightly ahead of the 76 per cent yearly increase in March, the International Air Transport Association said in its monthly report last week.

Demand for international air travel more than quadrupled in April, despite the war in Ukraine and travel restrictions in China, driving the recovery in overall passenger traffic for the month.

International travel demand rose about 332 per cent compared with April last year. This was more than the annual increase of about 290 per cent in March 2022, Iata said.

Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin

Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray 

What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE

Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.

Brief scores:

Day 2

England: 277 & 19-0

West Indies: 154

The specs: Rolls-Royce Cullinan

Price, base: Dh1 million (estimate)

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 563hp @ 5,000rpm

Torque: 850Nm @ 1,600rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 15L / 100km

Meydan Racecourse racecard:

6.30pm: The Madjani Stakes Listed (PA) | Dh175,000 1,900m

7.05pm: Maiden for 2-year-old fillies (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m

7.40pm: The Dubai Creek Mile Listed (TB) Dh265,000 1,600m

8.15pm: Maiden for 2-year-old colts (TB) Dh165,000 1,600m

8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) Dh265,000 2,000m

9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m

10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,600m.

Hydrogen: Market potential

Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.

"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.

Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.

The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.

Brief scores:

Newcastle United 1

Perez 23'

Wolverhampton Rovers 2

Jota 17', Doherty 90' 4

Red cards: Yedlin 57'

Man of the Match: Diogo Jota (Wolves)

Fight card
  • Aliu Bamidele Lasisi (Nigeria) beat Artid Vamrungauea (Thailand) POINTS
  • Julaidah Abdulfatah (Saudi Arabia) beat Martin Kabrhel (Czech Rep) POINTS
  • Kem Ljungquist (Denmark) beat Mourad Omar (Egypt) TKO
  • Michael Lawal (UK) beat Tamas Kozma (Hungary) KO​​​​​​​
  • Zuhayr Al Qahtani (Saudi Arabia) beat Mohammed Mahmoud (UK) POINTS
  • Darren Surtees (UK) beat Kane Baker (UK) KO
  • Chris Eubank Jr (UK) beat JJ McDonagh (Ireland) TKO
  • Callum Smith (UK) beat George Groves (UK) KO

'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster

Small%20Things%20Like%20These
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Tim%20Mielants%3Cbr%3ECast%3A%20Cillian%20Murphy%2C%20Emily%20Watson%2C%20Eileen%20Walsh%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

What is Genes in Space?

Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.

It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration. 

How to register as a donor

1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention

2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants

3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register. 

4) The campaign uses the hashtag  #donate_hope

Batti Gul Meter Chalu

Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Updated: June 13, 2022, 8:38 AM