Etihad Airways to expand pilot numbers following recruitment of 40 Alitalia captains and first officers

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, reported the recruitment of 40 fully-qualified pilots from Alitalia, the national airline of Italy, as part of a large-scale global campaign to hire between 500 to 600 captains and first officers over the next three years. The new recruits are currently in the process of transferring to Etihad Airways under a three-year contract, with the option to become a permanent employee after this period. In total, 38 of the pilots are expected to commence work at Etihad Airways before the end of this year, while the remaining two will join the airline during the first two months of 2015. The three-part program, which is conducted in-house at the Etihad Training Academy in Abu Dhabi, will be attended by 16 pilots from the group who are changing the aircraft type rating in their licence. It will initially focus on a corporate induction and specialist training in areas such as aircraft systems, safety and special operations. This is followed by simulator training and, finally, line training on Etihad Airways’ aircraft. The remaining 24 recruits are continuing under their existing type rating and will undertake a shorter two-month training program in Abu Dhabi.