Etihad Airways has hosted open day sessions to recruit staff from budget carrier Wizz Air, which is suspending its Abu Dhabi operations from September.
“We’ve extended our support to affected colleagues and have hosted open days to provide them with potential opportunities at Etihad,” Dr Nadia Bastaki, chief people, government and corporate affairs officer of Etihad Aviation Group, told The National.
“This response reflects our broader responsibility to contribute positively to the aviation ecosystem in the region, particularly in challenging times.”
The push to hire Wizz Air workers is part of Etihad's plans to hire pilots, cabin crew, engineers and airport staff to boost its head count by 1,500 this year alone.
The Abu Dhabi-based airline, which currently has a workforce of 12,000 people, plans to recruit 2,000 workers every year for the next five years as part of its ambitious growth plan to double its fleet and passenger volumes by 2030, according to Dr Bastaki.
“Our focus is on attracting top-tier talent and ensuring that all efforts align with Etihad’s long-term expansion while fostering the development of UAE nationals within our workforce,” she said.
The challenge for the industry in the future is attracting talent, Arik De, chief revenue and commercial officer of Etihad Airways, told The National onboard the delivery flight of Etihad's first Airbus A321LR from Hamburg to Abu Dhabi last week.
Earlier this month, Wizz Air said it was suspending operations in Abu Dhabi to focus on core markets following a “comprehensive reassessment”.
The no-frills airline cited operational challenges, including engine problems that led to the grounding of aircraft, among reasons for the exit. It began operations in the UAE capital in January 2021.
The move by Wizz Air leaves about 450 staff in limbo as some will be unable to relocate to the airline's European operations without European passports or visas, according to a Bloomberg report.
Expansion push
Etihad Airways is hiring amid a major expansion push with a plan to carry 38 million passengers annually and grow its fleet to 220 planes by 2030.
In June, Etihad said it carried 20 million people in a rolling 12-month period for the first time and was operating 101 aircraft.
This month, Emirates Group also announced a major hiring spree with plans to recruit 17,300 people including more cabin crew, pilots and engineers as well as cargo, catering and ground handling staff.
The Dubai-based aviation group's plans to add staff in 350 different roles in the financial year ending March 2026 will boost its total workforce by 14 per cent.
Boeing's latest 20-year outlook for commercial pilots, crew and technicians shows that the industry will require nearly 2.4 million new aviation professionals globally by 2044 to meet the long-term increase in air travel.
In the Middle East, airlines will need a total of 234,000 new aviation personnel by 2044. They will be made up of 67,000 pilots, 63,000 technicians and 104,000 cabin crew, Boeing said in its 2025 Pilot and Technician Outlook report.
Return to first-class
Etihad will embark on a programme to refresh its older aircraft in the fourth quarter of 2026 or the first quarter of 2027, Mr De said. It will cost around $1 billion.
The retrofit programme will include older Boeing 777s, 787-9 Dreamliners, Airbus A350s and the A321 classic version, he said.
This will entail bringing a first-class seat, lie-flat business-class seats and “surprise” product announcements that will be revealed “sooner than later”, he added.
Etihad plans to equip its entire fleet of wide bodies and narrow bodies with a first-class product by 2030, going against an industry-wide trend of many airlines removing their first-class seats and improving their business-class product.
“We want to have all the planes in Etihad with a first-class [product] – that’s the target in five years,” Etihad chief executive Antonoaldo Neves said in Hamburg during a media briefing last week.
Etihad took delivery of the first of 30 A321LR narrowbodies from the Airbus facility in Hamburg last week, showcasing first-class seats on a small plane. Another nine A321LRs will be handed over this year, 10 in 2026, five in 2027 and another five in 2028.
After the 10th plane, the incoming A321LR deliveries will feature new changes, according to Mr De.
“It will be bolder and better. Next year will be a different product,” he said, declining to provide details.
Airbus A380 operations
Etihad Airways is also considering returning more of its Airbus A380s to service, Mr De added.
It currently operates seven of its 10 double-deckers. In June it started operating the A380 on daily flights to Toronto, boosting capacity by 31 per cent.
“We continue to explore bringing additional A380s back,” Mr De said. “We want more A380s back, but we don't want to bring them if they don't bring us money.”
Etihad began to gradually reintroduce A380s to the fleet after they were grounded by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when global air travel came to a near-standstill.
