Etihad recruits 40 Alitalia pilots; 500-600 captains eyed by 2017

Staff Report / 7 November 2014

The new recruits are currently in the process of transferring to Etihad Airways under a three-year contract. 

Captain Francesco De Liddo and First Officer Paolo Sala are the first of 40 Alitalia pilots to transfer to Etihad Airways. — Supplied photo.

Dubai: Etihad Airways announced 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.

Etihad Cargo expands fleet Dubai: Etihad Cargo, the fast-moving freight division of Etihad Airways, has expanded its fleet of freighter aircraft with the placement of a third Boeing 747 freighter from Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings Inc. as part of a multi-year Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance (ACMI) agreement. The 747-400 freighter is the third aircraft to be operated by Atlas Air Inc. on behalf of Etihad Cargo, and complements existing lease agreements previously signed by Etihad Cargo for Boeing 747 freighter aircraft in May 2012 and May 2013. Scheduled to come into service this month, the Etihad Cargo Boeing 747-400 freighter aircraft has a payload capacity of 115 tonnes and a range of more than 8,000 kilometres. James Hogan, Etihad Airways president and chief executive officer, said: “Etihad Cargo continues to play a vital role in the growth and profit of the airline. We reported $804 million in cargo revenue during the first three quarters of 2014, and we are on track for this business to be turning over $1 billion by the end of the year. “Our partnership with Atlas Air is an important part of our success and we are confident that it will continue to deliver the operational excellence, outstanding customer service and security that will help us achieve our goal.”

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.
Captain Francesco De Liddo and First Officer Paolo Sala became the first two recruits from the group to be welcomed by Etihad Airways this week.
Both employees will attend a three-month training program to change their pilot licence from Airbus A330 and A320 to Boeing 777 aircraft.
The three-part programme, 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.