Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, today announces a global recruitment drive and ambitions to hire more pilots from the UK over the summer as it continues to respond to strong demand for international travel.
Since 2022, the airline has welcomed over 1,000 new pilots on its three recruitment programmes – Direct Entry Captains, Accelerated Command, and First Officers – flying across a fleet of 260 all wide-body aircraft of Airbus A380s and Boeing 777.
The UK is a key recruitment market for Emirates, with the airline currently operating 126 flights a week to Dubai from London Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle, and Glasgow. The airline currently employs 545 British pilots from across the country, including London, Manchester, and Luton.
This August, the airline will be holding a series of Pilot Roadshows in the UK to share more about the opportunities on offer. Pilots will be able to learn about entry requirements, salary, and benefits, rosters, training, and the lifestyle benefits of living in Dubai.
Emirates pilots benefit from flying one of the world’s youngest and most sophisticated fleets of wide-bodied aircraft to 150 destinations around the globe.
UK Senior First Officer Lee Nightingale from Emirates said, “Being a pilot is an extremely fulfilling career and joining Emirates in 2015 was a fantastic lifestyle decision for my family and me.
“I have been flying with Emirates for seven years now and flying since 2010, but every day is a different, and working with people from all over the world on a day-to-day basis means we’re always learning. Flying Emirates’ modern wide-body fleet truly feels like the best job in the world and after taking the leap and moving to Dubai all those years ago I have never looked back.”
Emirates has an extensive pilot training programme that leverages state-of-the-art technology, with a recent investment of US$135 million in a new pilot training centre in Dubai. This facility can accommodate six Full Flight Simulator Bays (FFS) for future aircraft including the Airbus A350 – which will start arriving next year – and Boeing 777X aircraft, giving a well-rounded experience of what candidates can expect once qualified.
Pilots can make the most of a range of competitive benefits, offering a compelling work and home life balance including tax-free industry-competitive salary, accommodation in Dubai, education allowance, and excellent medical and dental cover. These come in addition to concessional cargo and travel benefits for the entire family, and even friends, across the Emirates global network.
Dubai has a strong reputation as one of the safest and most secure cities in the world, while also being vibrant and fun making it a great place to live and work. With great international schools, properties, and hospitals as well as spectacular attractions it also has a robust aviation ecosystem and two international airports.
Candidates looking to apply for the position of First Officer must have experience on multi-engine, multi-crew aircraft, a valid ICAO Airline Pilot License, and a minimum experience of 2,000 flying hours on 20 tonne MTOW (maximum take-off weight) aircraft.
A380 direct entry Captain
This programme is for technically proficient commanders with a minimum of 3,000 hours of recent command on Airbus fly-by-wire wide body such as the A330, A340, A350, and A380, and minimum of 7,000 hours of total flying time on multi-crew, multi-engine aircraft, in addition to meeting other eligibility criteria.
Accelerated command programme
Primarily designed for experienced Airbus Captains, who currently command narrow-body aircraft on regional routes, and wish to dial up their careers by working with a global airline brand. Captains with a minimum of 1,500 hours of Airbus fly-by-wire experience will join Emirates as A380 First Officers on an enhanced salary package. They are eligible for an accelerated command upgrade after a minimum of 700 flying hours and two successful recurrent checks. Typically, Emirates pilots achieve these milestones in a little over a year as they fly a mix of ultra-long, long- and short-haul routes.
First Officer
Candidates for First Officer roles must have multi-engine, multi-crew aircraft experience, a valid International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL), and a minimum of 2,000 hours on 20-tonne maximum take-off weight aircraft.
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