Dubai’s Emirates to step up recruitment in Hong Kong amid global hunt for pilots

Dubai-based airline Emirates is scouring the globe to hire another 1,700 pilots over the next three years, with the carrier looking to bolster recruitment efforts in Hong Kong amid intense international competition. Brian Tyrrell, the company’s senior vice-president of the fleet, told the Post the carrier aimed to increase its recruitment efforts in the city to meet a strong surge in customer demand at a time when the company had already added more than 300 widebody aircraft to its order books. Emirates held two recruitment roadshows in Hong Kong this year, one in January and another last month, offering lucrative packages that include tax-free monthly salaries ranging from US$6,800 to US$12,250. “We need to recruit the right pilot talent for our current and future fleet. Our recruitment roadshows are designed to attract a diverse pool of talent with varying levels of experience and expertise, not just from Hong Kong, but from across the region and the world,” he said. “We announced significant changes to our pilot eligibility criteria, benefits – including higher salaries – and new roles, which demonstrates our commitment to attracting the best talent globally.” Tyrell said the airline was very impressed with the quality of the candidates and the applications it had received during the last recruitment drive. “We’ve welcomed a number of pilots since then. Our candidates’ eagerness to know more and their knowledge of Emirates and Dubai is incredible,” he said. The carrier’s recruitment drive follows the recovery of the global aviation sector from the Covid-19 pandemic, with the industry seeing a resurgence in demand for air travel. The demand has fuelled intense competition among global airlines looking to sign up new pilots and cabin crew to support the expansion of their fleets and travel networks.<br/>