CAMPAIGN TAKES OFF
AN EMIRATES recruitment seminar in Cairns has drawn in applicants from around the world, but the airline has denied any plans to start flying into Cairns.
Applicants were put into a lecture before going through rounds of elimination interviews at the Holiday Inn Cairns Harbourside.
Argentinian Juan Carlos Siber Guerrero ditched his holiday plans in Brisbane to make it to Cairns for the event.
“I found the open day on the internet. I thought I should take a chance and see what happens.
“I took the time to get my suit, get my photos and get ready. This is the best way to know the world and go to places you never thought you could travel to.”
Closer to home, Smithfield’s Amy Anderson said she was relieved to finally have a flight attendant recruitment seminar held in Cairns.
She said she had always wanted to work for a company like Emirates.
“It’s an on-the-go job, and it’s not the typical office job where you do the same thing every day,” she said.
Ms Anderson said she was particularly excited about the idea of moving to the Middle East.
“I’d be based in Dubai, which I’m very excited about. I’ve never lived anywhere other than Australia, so it would be a nice change and it would make me grow a lot as a person as well,” she said.
Despite speculation the United Arab Emirates airline is planning on flying direct to Cairns, an Emirates spokeswoman said there were “no confirmed plans” to fly to Cairns.
“Our current focus is on the five Australian cities that Emirates flies to, which are Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide. However, through our partnership with Qantas, passengers from Cairns can already fly on codeshare flights from Cairns and connect to Emirates’ vast route network via our hub in Dubai,” she said.
In 2017 Cairns Airport management and other city leaders confirmed they were starting negotiations with a Middle Eastern airline.
Cairns Airport is actively seeking out new direct routes across Asia, the Middle East and North America with airlines Etihad and Emirates in its sights.
A Cairns Airport spokeswoman told the Cairns Post that European, Chinese and North American markets would be targeted in the coming years.
“We are in continual discussions with airlines. We would certainly welcome a Middle Eastern carrier flying to Cairns,” she said.
Opening direct flights to the Middle East would make Cairns a more accessible tourism destination for travellers from Europe.