Emirates to hire 6,000 staff over next six months
Emirates will hire more than 6,000 operational staff over the next six months as the airline strengthens its workforce on the back of a recovery in travel demand.
The world’s biggest longhaul airline has already restored 90 per cent of its network and is on track to reach 70 per cent of its pre-pandemic capacity by the end of the year, it said yesterday.
“We have been prudently restoring our operations in line with the borders reopening and ease of travel protocols, and with the positive signs in the economic recovery and continuous growth of demand, we are hopeful to be back to where we were pre-pandemic, from mid2022,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, chairman and chief executive of Emirates airline and group.
He said that the airline’s requirement for 6,000 additional staff signifies the quick recovery Dubai’s economy is witnessing.
The move follows an Emirates announcement in September that it is to hire 3,000 cabin crew and 500 airport services employees to join its Dubai base to support operational requirements.
The airline is also recruiting 600 pilots in Dubai.
Emirates is using its high-capacity, double-decker A380 aircraft on popular routes. And by next month, the airline will offer more than 165,000 additional seats on its superjumbos.
The Covid-19 pandemic hit the global aviation industry hard last year and led to airlines grounding planes, cutting jobs and slashing salaries.
However, the reopening of economies globally, the easing of pandemic travel restrictions and rapid vaccination programmes are leading to a rebound in travel demand.
Additional pilots, cabin crew, engineering specialists and ground staff will be needed to support the airline’s increasing operations across its global network – to respond to the sooner-than-expected surge in customer demand, Emirates said.
Emirates is the world’s largest operator of Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 aircraft, with its fleet currently comprising 263 wide-body aircraft.
Emirates, the world’s biggest long-haul airline, plans to recruit more than 6,000 staff over the next six months as travel demand rebounds.
As Covid-19 restrictions ease globally with the accelerated distribution of vaccines, additional pilots, cabin crew, engineering specialists and ground staff will be needed to support the airline’s increasing operations across its global network.
This comes in response to the sooner-than-expected surge in customer demand, the airline said yesterday.
Emirates has already restored 90 per cent of its network and is on track to reach 70 per cent of its pre-pandemic capacity by the end of 2021, it said.
“Emirates has always been at the heart of Dubai’s growth,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, chairman and chief executive of Emirates airline and group.
“Our requirement for 6,000 additional operational staff signifies the quick recovery Dubai’s economy is witnessing and will lead to opportunities and other positive developments across various other businesses, including those in the consumer, travel and tourism sectors.”
The Covid-19 pandemic hit the global aviation industry hard last year and led to airlines grounding planes, cutting jobs and slashing salaries.
However, the reopening of economies globally, the easing of travel restrictions and rapid vaccination programmes are leading to a rebound in travel demand.
As with many other major airlines around the world, Emirates took steps to cut costs and conserve cash by reducing staff wages, cutting jobs and offering cabin crew voluntary unpaid leave to cope with the fallout from the pandemic.
But the airline has gradually restored operations in line with the easing of travel restrictions around the world. It has recalled pilots, cabin crew and other operational employees who were stood down when the pandemic forced a drastic reduction in flights.
It also reinstated the full salaries of its staff. Cabin crew serving in Emirates economy-class cabins are entitled to an average starting monthly salary of Dh9,770 ($2,660), based on 80 to 100 flying hours per month, according to the airline’s website.
Captains who can operate Emirates’ A380 or Boeing 777 are entitled to a monthly salary of Dh43,013 – basic salary and flying pay included – based on an average 85 flying hours per month.
The airline is supplementing its flight schedules with increased frequency to meet pent-up travel demand,.
Emirates is using its high-capacity, double-decker A380 aircraft on popular routes in its network. By November, the airline will offer more than 165,000 additional seats on its flagship A380 aircraft, it said.