Etihad to hire 1,000 cabin crew by the end of the year amid expansion plans

Abu Dhabi airline to hold recruitment drive in a number of cities from June

Etihad cabin crew. The airline provides free accommodation and a competitive salary to its cabin crew. Photo: Etihad

Etihad Airways is planning to recruit about 1,000 cabin crew by the end of this year after employing a similar number this year as the airline continues to grow its network and connect more cities around the globe.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline will organise open days and invitation days from June to the end of the year in several cities including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Athens, Antalya, Malaga and Manchester, it said on Friday.

The recruitment drive will also be held in Copenhagen, Vienna, Singapore, Nice, Dublin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Düsseldorf, Milan, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Colombo and Jaipur.

“As Etihad continues to grow, we are looking for exceptional individuals to join our team who share our ambition to become the airline that everyone wants to fly,” said Nadia Bastaki, chief people and corporate affairs officer at Etihad.

Etihad’s cabin crew is currently made up of people from 112 countries, all based in Abu Dhabi.

Who can apply?

The applicants should be at least 21 years old, have excellent English language skills and hold a high school certificate or any higher education qualification, according to the Etihad Airways website.

Previous experience is not essential to work as cabin crew as successful candidates will be trained at Etihad Aviation Training’s Zayed Campus that is adjacent to the airline’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi.

Apart from the competent salary, the airline also provides fully furnished accommodation, medical insurance and other allowances for the cabin crew, it said.

New routes and record profit

The new announcement comes as the airline continues to grow its network. In June, it will commence flights to Bali and Jaipur, as well as seasonal destinations such as the Greek islands of Mykonos and Santorini, and the holiday resorts of Malaga in Spain and Antalya in Turkey, the airline added.

Etihad's profit soared in the first quarter amid higher demand for air travel.

The Abu Dhabi airline posted an after-tax profit of Dh526 million ($143 million) for the first three months of 2024, up from Dh59 million in the same period a year ago, as total revenue rose about 21 per cent annually to Dh5.7 billion.

The airline expects to exceed last year's annual profit of Dh525 million, in 2024.

Etihad’s operating fleet grew to 89 aircraft in the first quarter, from 75 in the previous year, including the addition of three new Boeing 787s in February this year.

The airline's capacity in terms of available seat kilometres increased by 35 per cent year on year.

Other airlines are also boosting cabin crew numbers as travel demand continues to pick up after a slump caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

In January, Emirates, the world's biggest long-haul airline, said it would host open days and assessments in more than 460 cities across six continents to hire 5,000 cabin crew this year.

Last year, the Dubai airline hired 8,000 cabin crew and held recruitment events in 353 cities as it ramped up services to meet a boom in travel after the pandemic.