Etihad Airways To Recruit 7,000 New Employees By 2035

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Etihad Airways continued its hiring spree even during the regional conflict and plans to recruit another 7,000 employees across different departments by 2035, a senior official said.

Speaking to Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026, Dr Nadia Bastaki, chief people, government and corporate affairs officer at Etihad Airways, said the airline is targeting a workforce of 22,000 employees by 2035, more than 45 per cent higher than its current headcount, as the airline continues its rapid expansion and doubles down on Emiratisation.

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Etihad expects to close out this year with around 15,000 employees, with growth at a similar pace set to continue annually through to 2035, she added.

The airline, which is growing 20 per cent year-on-year, needs to bring in more than 3,000 new employees this year across its operations. Of the total, the majority are frontline roles, including pilots, technicians and engineers.

Etihad and Khalifa University of Science and Technology recently concluded their latest joint internship programme to advance Emirati talent in the UAE's aviation ambitions.

Hiring during regional conflict

Bastaki said Etihad has hired around 1,340 employees so far this year, with another 600 in the pipeline and a further 300 expected to join by the end of the year, putting the airline on track to meet its overall recruitment target.

As part of its wider workforce strategy, Etihad is channelling UAE nationals into aviation careers through its cadet programme, airport programme and technician programme, giving them structured career progression and skills development. More than 300 Emiratis are expected to join through these pipelines this year, in addition to direct-entry hires into core grades reserved for UAE nationals.

Bastaki said UAE nationals are also embedded in the airline's succession planning and leadership development, with Etihad aiming for a balanced mix of nationals, genders and diversity across all levels of its workforce.

Bastaki said Etihad continued hiring throughout a recent six-month period of regional disruption that hit airlines and the wider travel and tourism sector, onboarding 700 new employees without pausing international recruitment. The airline shifted its onboarding processes online to continue welcoming new joiners during the period.

100,000 applications for cabin crew jobs

Etihad has posted 46 per cent profit growth alongside its 20 per cent annual growth in operations, which Bastaki said makes the airline an attractive destination for talent, citing fast career progression, such as cabin crew becoming pursers within 18 months.

The airline runs monthly recruitment campaigns both inside and outside the UAE, having recently completed a drive in Europe, with campaigns planned in Africa and China as Etihad expands into those markets. Recruitment activity also continues through LinkedIn and international roadshows targeted at specific markets.

Bastaki said Etihad has invested heavily in AI across its recruitment process over the past two years, including virtual interviews and systems that can screen more than 50,000 applications in under three days, ranking candidates by suitability. For cabin crew roles alone, the airline receives more than 100,000 applications, which AI helps triage before human interviewers step in.

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