Etihad recruiting Airbus pilots as fleet and workforce expand rapidly

Etihad Airways is seeking experienced Airbus pilots as it keeps growing its fleet and network. The Abu Dhabi-based carrier has expanded about 20 percent a year over the past three years and now flies around 130 aircraft, with roughly 20 added annually. New Airbus A350s and A321LRs, later the A330neo, and additional Boeing widebodies are part of the plan. Pilot numbers are expected to rise from about 2,000 today to 4,000 by 2030. In 2025 the airline hired about 3,200 people, including almost 400 pilots.

German training captain Sören Rohwer joined Etihad from Air Berlin in 2013. He is now chief flight instructor and instructor-examiner. Rohwer said candidates should look beyond the job posting and consider which aircraft will join the fleet in coming years, since that affects career progression. He moved to Abu Dhabi with his wife, and the couple has two children. His son now greets him in Arabic when he returns from flights, he said.