UAE jobs: Etihad Airways to hire 1,500 more employees in 2025 after major recruitment spree

Abu Dhabi: The UAE’s national airline, Etihad Airways, is set to hire another 1,500 employees by the end of 2025. This comes after the airline has already hired 1,685 people since the start of the year, according to Dr Nadia Bastaki, the Chief Human Resources, Organisational Development and Asset Management Officer at the airline.

Etihad currently has around 12,000 employees, and the senior leadership team anticipates that this number could double by 2030 as the airline expands its fleet.

Dr Bastaki said the airline needs more people in key roles, such as pilots, cabin crew, and engineers.

“Etihad has been doing well in terms of strategy. We refreshed our 2030 strategy to ensure we catch up more with markets, which areas will apply, what fleet types we want to invest in, and how we expand our network,” she said.

“Last year alone, we announced 16 new destinations. So, we are at 101 aircraft today. We have hired more than 4000 people in the last three years, over 4000 across the board,” Dr Bastaki explained.

Etihad has been on a major hiring drive in the past three years, adding over 4,000 new staff members. Etihad wants to expand its services by 2030, aiming to have more planes and double the number of passengers it carries.

Dr Bastaki also said that Etihad is also committed to hiring local talent. The airline plans to recruit 1,000 UAE nationals over the next five years. This translates to roughly 250-300 Emirati hires per year, with about 70 positions for pilots and around 20 for airport manager programs.

Fostering Emirati talent

Dr Bastaki and Etihad Airways’ CEO Antonoaldo Neves told Gulf News at the sidelines of the Khutwaty 2025 career fair that the airline is highly focused on recruiting local talent.

“I believe we have a lot of Emirati talent. And we want the best. We want the best to come. Etihad is an amazing place to work because the airline is growing. I mean, a lot is going on. We are bringing in new planes and destinations, but I think the most important thing is that every time you experience double-digit growth, everyone gets stretched, and if you get stretched, you learn, and if you learn, you develop,” said Neves.

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