According to an internal memo issued by Emirates, the airline is looking for new recruits leaving Etihad and Norwegian. Hong Kong Airlines has also contacted Emirates to transfer some flight crew to the airline. Pilots at Hong Hong Airlines are Airbus type rated which means if recruited by Emirates, they will get to fly the A380. Hong Kong Air has identified a 10 percent surplus in pilot numbers.

Due to the financial issues at Etihad and Norwegian, pilots redundancies are taking place. According to Emirates, its has recruited 52 pilots last month, he highest number since August 2016.

Emirates faces an annual hiring challenge to meet the needs of its expanding global network. President Tim Clark said last April that there would be a shortfall of 100 to 150 flight crew over 2018’s busy summer travel season. According to the memo, 499 crew have been deemed eligible to join from this coming April through the end of 2019.


Source: https://www.arabianbusiness.com/transpo ... -pilot-gap

With the pilots shortage being a global issue. Why aren't we hearing and listening to news about the matter only from Emirates?

HX would presumably subcontract the crews, as pilot bonding would potentially be an issue. That or do a deal where EK picks up the bond and settles with HX in cash for any balance outstanding.

Redundancies are different as they would be clear of any debt and are the type of direct recruitment EK would doubtless prefer to a bonded pilot.

Regarding your last point, I believe Qantas has some pilot shortage on the 737. They have mentioned it a few times. https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/pilot-shortage-forces-qantas-to-put-jumbo-jets-on-domestic-services-20180703-p4zp63.html

EK gets mentioned a lot because they are getting hit particularly hard by the pilot shortage. They employ mostly expats- many who started at EK when opportunities in their home countries were limited. With the pilot shortage (and some legacies like the US3 improving their financial standings) there are now once again opportunities back at home with better work rules and equal or better pay. Chinese airlines have also been aggressively expanding with often times better pay and work rules for expats than what EK has been offering. So pilots are leaving Emirates exacerbating the pilot shortage issue for them.

All Emirates has to do is improve the working conditions of the pilots and they'll come naturally. I recently heard some pilots are leaving Emirates to work for Ryanair, that says a lot.

PatrickZ80 wrote:

All Emirates has to do is improve the working conditions of the pilots and they'll come naturally. I recently heard some pilots are leaving Emirates to work for Ryanair, that says a lot.

When EK works crews to the bone year after year after year, has an adversarial culture of fear and keeps pay stagnant, it's not a surprise when most flight crew want to leave when the opportunity comes.

PatrickZ80 wrote:

All Emirates has to do is improve the working conditions of the pilots and they'll come naturally. I recently heard some pilots are leaving Emirates to work for Ryanair, that says a lot.

Completely agree. I was staff traveling on EK IAH-DXB and has 2 crew members tell me to stay in the US. Neither one recommended coming to EK. That says a lot, because outside of a notable US regional, I have never had crews tell me "Don't come here".

Reading on Pprune from pilots within EK and the region, EK is no where close to where they use to be and not keeping up with treatment pilots are getting at other companies. Be is a managerial issue or cultural issue, EK may need to look in the mirror or continue to only get pilots from struggling companies. I wish my fellow pilots luck, nothing worse then watching a company struggle and always want to see them land on their feet. And if the pilots from these companies have a place to land, good for them!!

AsiaTravel wrote:

Regarding your last point, I believe Qantas has some pilot shortage on the 737. They have mentioned it a few times. https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/pilot-shortage-forces-qantas-to-put-jumbo-jets-on-domestic-services-20180703-p4zp63.html

Qantas haven't had any issue recruiting pilots, they got caught short because they didn't have enough trainers/check pilots to commence new hires quickly enough.

Why would HX have 10% surplus pilots? Are they going to reduce their flying?

EK will do everything it seems, except treat their people really, really well.

SteelChair wrote:

EK will do everything it seems, except treat their people really, really well.

They might start with just well, the amount of really can be a later issue. It would be a good start.

Polot wrote:

EK gets mentioned a lot because they are getting hit particularly hard by the pilot shortage. They employ mostly expats- many who started at EK when opportunities in their home countries were limited. With the pilot shortage (and some legacies like the US3 improving their financial standings) there are now once again opportunities back at home with better work rules and equal or better pay. Chinese airlines have also been aggressively expanding with often times better pay and work rules for expats than what EK has been offering. So pilots are leaving Emirates exacerbating the pilot shortage issue for them.

We've heard about it at FR, Norwegian, and US regionals.

As noted Chinese airlines are out bidding EK for geographically mobile pilots.

Some airlines have really dropped their minimums. As much as posters here like to find fault with EK, LionAir and others accepts pilots too green for EK. The need for an ATP rating is hurting small airlines in regions requiring that for copilots.

The EU3 and US3 have outstanding pay and benefits, so they will never want for pilots.

Lightsaber

I should add EK has higher turnover.

India stopped turnover at their airlines by requiring rediculously long notice. It isn't just EK. The mobile Expat pilots today prefer China.

EK needs to do the obvious to staunch turnover. However, they are barely profitable and must find Dubai. So where to find the money?

Lightsaber

I think EK could even drop pay if they just improved working conditions. Most people can't make it work because they simply can't spend 20-22 nights a month away from family.

Varsity1 wrote:

I think EK could even drop pay if they just improved working conditions. Most people can't make it work because they simply can't spend 20-22 nights a month away from family.

Hard to say. Not in the aviation industry but have heard from others about how Dubai can be rough for families. It’s a fun place at first (and fun to vacation at) but after you are there for awhile and after the newness and glamor wears off you realize you are stuck in a very expensive city in the middle of a desert far from extended family/old friends with not much around it in a generally conservative region.

Polot wrote:

Varsity1 wrote:

I think EK could even drop pay if they just improved working conditions. Most people can't make it work because they simply can't spend 20-22 nights a month away from family.

Hard to say. Not in the aviation industry but have heard from others about how Dubai can be rough for families. It’s a fun place at first (and fun to vacation at) but after you are there for awhile and after the newness and glamor wears off you realize you are stuck in a very expensive city in the middle of a desert far from extended family/old friends with not much around it in a generally conservative region.

Ain't that the truth.

as739x wrote:

PatrickZ80 wrote:

All Emirates has to do is improve the working conditions of the pilots and they'll come naturally. I recently heard some pilots are leaving Emirates to work for Ryanair, that says a lot.

Completely agree. I was staff traveling on EK IAH-DXB and has 2 crew members tell me to stay in the US. Neither one recommended coming to EK. That says a lot, because outside of a notable US regional, I have never had crews tell me "Don't come here".

Reading on Pprune from pilots within EK and the region, EK is no where close to where they use to be and not keeping up with treatment pilots are getting at other companies. Be is a managerial issue or cultural issue, EK may need to look in the mirror or continue to only get pilots from struggling companies. I wish my fellow pilots luck, nothing worse then watching a company struggle and always want to see them land on their feet. And if the pilots from these companies have a place to land, good for them!!

I would tell you the same.

lightsaber wrote:

As much as posters here like to find fault with EK, LionAir and others accepts pilots too green for EK.

People have high expectations of EK. People don't have high expectations of Lion.

lightsaber wrote:

As noted Chinese airlines are out bidding EK for geographically mobile pilots.

In your next post you state 'The mobile Expat pilots today prefer China.'

Presumably the preference is in relation to money, not conditions, otherwise the Chinese are paying more for no reason. Pay the same or less than EK, and still they come?

I sometimes think EK should do a hard campaign on South America to get a lot of pilots that would love to be there for a lot of money .. then i remember in this part of the continent A is predominant, and as such, they'd have to incur on a lot of training to make them fly their B planes.

c933103 wrote:

Why would HX have 10% surplus pilots? Are they going to reduce their flying?

expansion plan pause and certain poor performing long haul routes canceled or reduced frequency.

hongkongflyer wrote:

c933103 wrote:

Why would HX have 10% surplus pilots? Are they going to reduce their flying?

expansion plan pause and certain poor performing long haul routes canceled or reduced frequency.

And rumours of HX cancelling all future A350 deliveries isn't gonna help.

Michael

Honestly, if Emirates opened up a US base and hired pilots at 2000 hours that weren't getting calls from the Big 3 they would have people lining up to work for them. I think the fact that you have to live in Dubai kills a ton of interest in Emirates and also the brutal lines that they have and refuse to change. I am surprised that Emirates doesn't have outstation basing since it seems like their route network would make it a highly coveted job.