Etihad Airways plans to hire 1,000 cabin crew in a major recruitment drive.
The Abu Dhabi airline is scaling up operations on the back of a recovery in travel demand.
Over around six weeks, starting on October 11, Etihad will hold recruitment days in 10 cities across the UAE, Middle East and Europe. They are in countries including Egypt, Lebanon, Russia, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands, the airline said on Monday.
“Etihad is in a position to be able to start hiring cabin crew again. In each of these cities, we will be looking for candidates who have a passion for delivering exceptional customer service. We are looking for individuals who will help grow our business,” said Captain Jihad Matta, head of crew performance and support at Etihad Airways.
The coronavirus pandemic brought the global aviation industry to a grinding halt last year, with airlines laying off staff and grounding planes. But as economies reopen globally and countries ease pandemic-induced travel restrictions, with accelerated vaccination programmes, travel demand is slowly recovering.
As the appetite for travel recovers, demand for new staff in the aviation sector is on the rise, with airlines advertising jobs for flight attendants, pilots and guest service agents, according to experts in the UAE's recruitment industry.
Last month, Dubai-based Emirates said it would hire 3,000 cabin crew and 500 airport service staff over six months as it gradually restores its operations in line with the easing of travel restrictions across the world.
Etihad Airways said it would also allow employees who were laid off because of the pandemic to reapply.
“The last 18 months have been incredibly difficult. However, there is much to be positive about as travel restrictions ease and we ramp up operations to meet growing demand. A critical part of this is rebuilding our cabin crew team,” Mr Matta said.
The chosen candidates will undergo a comprehensive training programme in Abu Dhabi, which includes all aspects of cabin safety and service delivery, Etihad said.
Etihad operates 64 aircraft, including five freighters. The backbone of the Etihad fleet is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, of which it has 39 Boeing 787-9s and 787-10s.
Since the beginning of the year, the Abu Dhabi airline has also launched or resumed operations to 10 destinations, including services to Tel Aviv in April.
By November, Etihad will fly to 70 destinations across 47 countries, it said last week.
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