Summary
- Riyadh Air plans to rent 700 pilots in the subsequent 3 years to fly its Boeing 787-9s and expand its narrowbody fleet.
- The airline can be hiring cabin crew, engineers, IT professionals, and managers for various departments.
- Riyadh Air goals to supply point-to-point flights and develop into a world aviation and trade hub in Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, finding enough trained pilots could also be a challenge.
Within the face of a global pilot shortage, Riyadh Air, the Saudi Arabia-based startup airline, desires to hire 700 pilots in 3 years to fly its Boeing 787-9s – and eventually future narrowbody airframes. Riyadh Air guarantees a point-to-point network to assist the Saudi tourism network, plus competitive pay and advantages.
Riyadh Air is hiring – and greater than pilots
Recently, Riyadh Air Chief Operating Officer Peter Bellew – formerly of Ryanair – let it’s known that Riyadh Air needs 700 pilots over the subsequent three years. Based on Gulf News, Bellew noted,
“[Pilot] interviews have been going down. We expect people to physically join us from January to April of next 12 months. … Recruitment for the core group will proceed until December this 12 months.”
However the carrier is hiring greater than pilots. One should do not forget that running an airline today requires cabin crew, engineers, and IT professionals amongst a rating of other staffers. Screening is underway, with global cabin crew recruitment roadshows like Emirates does within the works. Currently, the carrier is hiring for airport experience, audit, cabin crew, and lounge staffers.
Photo: Riyadh Air
Riyadh Air offering a brand new approach to Middle East aviation
Middle Eastern aviation has been increasingly defined by spoke and hub operations, where Qatar Airways, Etihad, and Emirates operate a world spoke operation to feed their hub airports. In contrast, Riyadh Air, funded by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, has this explicit goal, in line with its website
This vision gives Riyadh Air executives hope the airline can recruit enough pilots to fly its latest airplanes. As Tony Douglas, CEO, shared with the Financial Times his view that as to Qatar Airways’ passenger volume,
“A really substantial percentage of that [QR’s] traffic is transfer. Little or no of it proportionally is point-to-point.”
Which is what Riyadh Air has on offer – point-to-point flights. The carrier can be going after aircraft which can be intended for such flights. Reports from Aerotime Hub indicate that Riyadh Air is considering a minimum of 150 narrowbody aircraft and prefers the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The MAX aircraft would complement the fleet of 787s already on order for the airline.
Indeed, the 787 was built for airlines like Riyadh Air that need to run point-by-point routes.
Bottom line
The issue is, can Riyadh Air find enough trained pilots to fly such widebody aircraft, knowing the training requirements to operate such aircraft are steep? From India to the US, airlines are scrambling to coach and secure as many pilots as possible, and Riyadh Air may have to supply competitive offers to lure pilots away, something it has indicated is feasible.
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