Emirates heads to UK to recruit pilots – here’s the salary on offer

Airline to hire first officers as it steps up operations to meet surge in demand

Emirates cabin crew in the airline's brown, white and red uniforms. Getty

Emirates was rated the world’s safest airline in January 2022 for the second year in a row. Reuters

An Emirates Boeing 777-200LR aircraft mid-flight. Photo: Emirates

Emirates airline's Boeing 777-300ER jets at Dubai International Airport. Reuters

Travellers at Dubai International Airport's Terminal 3. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Emirates has first and business class lounges around the world. Photos: Emirates

A fast-track gate that uses face and iris-recognition technology at Dubai International Airport. The biometric system is being used at 122 smart gates at the airport's arrival and departure terminals. AFP

An Emirates cabin crew staff member demonstrates new health and safety measures introduced after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: Emirates

Emirates has fully enclosed private suites in first class. Photo: Emirates

An Emirates Airbus A380 aircraft on the tarmac at the 2021 Dubai Airshow. AFP

Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia aircraft perform a flypast over the UAE. Emirates

Emirates, the biggest operator of Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s, is taking its search for pilots to the UK in a recruitment roadshow next week as it increases operations in response to a resurgence in travel demand.

The airline's pilot recruitment team will hold one-hour information sessions for three consecutive days, starting on August 11, at the Double Tree by Hilton hotel at Manchester Airport, Emirates said on its website.

The next sessions will follow on August 12 at the Hilton Garden Inn, Luton Airport and August 13 at the Crowne Plaza, Gatwick Airport.

"With Emirates’ continuous investments in renewing its fleet, the airline’s pilots will also be flying Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, Boeing 777-Xs and Airbus A350-900s in the coming years," it said.

The airline is expanding its search for commercial pilots amid a global crunch for aviation workers, as many in the industry who were laid off during the Covid-19 pandemic have moved into other occupations and flexible work options.

The time required to recruit, train, complete security checks and perform other necessary processes before staff are “job-ready” is becoming a challenge for the industry. In some cases, recruitment delays are hurting airlines' ability to keep up with passenger demand.

Boeing last month raised its 20-year global demand forecast for commercial airline pilots and other aviation workers by 3.4 per cent from 2021, as air travel recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic and the worldwide fleet is expected to double during the period.

The US plane maker now projects a need for 602,000 pilots, 610,000 maintenance technicians and 899,000 cabin crew members to safely support the recovery in commercial air travel and staff the fleet over the next two decades, according to its latest Pilot and Technician Outlook.

The Middle East airlines will need 53,000 new pilots, 50,000 new technicians and 99,000 new cabin crew in the next 20 years, the outlook forecasts.

Emirates said candidates for first officer roles must have experience on multi-engine, multi-crew aircraft, a valid ICAO airline pilot licence and a minimum experience of 2,000 flying hours on 20-tonne maximum take-off weight aircraft.

The Gulf airline listed benefits ranging from a monthly tax-free salary of Dh30,826 ($8,393), to accommodation and education allowance and the safety and multicultural environment of its Dubai hub.