Etihad to help train Alitalia pilots

Dubai: Etihad Airways will help train 24 cadet pilots destined for Alitalia’s regional airline CityLiner, the Italian carrier said on Wednesday.

Alitalia also announced reopening its Alitalia Training Academy for the first time in ten years. The cadets will train at Alitalia’s training centres in Italy and Etihad’s training facilities in Abu Dhabi, according to a joint emailed statement from the two airlines.

The cadets will first complete theoretical and practical classwork before their first training test flights at the Etihad Flight College in Al Ain. The second part of the course will be at the Alitalia Training Academy at Rome Fiumicino.

Once the pilots complete their training they will be licensed to fly with CityLiner, which operates 20 aircraft. The new pilots will commit flying to Alitalia for at least 36 months, according to the statement.

In August, Etihad Airways said it is employing close to 200 pilots on a secondment basis from airlines it holds equity stakes in. Etihad owns stakes in eight airlines from Australia to Ireland, including Alitalia.

Etihad said at the time it is employing 52 pilots from Air Berlin, and a further six from subsidiary NIKI; 41 from Alitalia, a further 25 from subsidiary CityLiner; and 63 from India’s Jet Airways.