Etihad Airways will recruit up to 200 employees from South Africa to meet its rapid expansion plans.
“In Cape Town we will be inviting up to 200 of the best candidates who meet our stringent criteria to attend our assessment day,” said Aubrey Tiedt, Etihad’s vice president for Guest Services.
Etihad, which is holding its recruitment day on May 6 in Cape Town, is looking to hire cabin crew, food and beverage managers and in-flight chefs.
“To support the rapid, dynamic expansion of Etihad Airways, we are delighted to host our recruitment drive in South Africa, a strategically important market for the airline,” said Ms Tiedt.
Etihad has about 243 South African employees, including 107 core staff, 120 cabin crew and 16 pilots.
Etihad started daily flights to Johannesburg in December 2005.
“A natural link to the operational expansion is to hire cabin crew and customer service, especially if they are locally based,” said John Strickland, the director at JLS Consulting.
Saj Ahmad, the chief analyst at StrategicAero Research, said: “Africa remains one of the last bastions of Etihad’s expansion so it makes sense to recruit there.
“It is an underserved market and incumbent South African Airways is in very poor shape, so it makes sense to capitalise on a market that has little competition and even less likelihood to compete against Etihad’s strength.”
Etihad has previously launched recruitments campaigns in other countries including the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and Morocco.
Etihad expects 20 aircraft deliveries this year, which will include Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A380s.
At the Dubai Airshow in November, Etihad announced 199 aircraft orders from Boeing and Airbus.
selgazzar@thenational.ae
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