Etihad Airways plans to recruit approximately 7,000 additional employees by 2035 as it expands its fleet, network and operations.
The Abu Dhabi-based airline expects its workforce to increase from approximately 15,000 employees in 2026 to 22,000 by 2035, representing growth of more than 45 per cent.
More than 3,000 employees are expected to be recruited during 2026, with frontline positions accounting for most of the demand. Priority roles include pilots, technicians, engineers and other operational employees.
Etihad said it had hired approximately 1,340 people so far this year, with hundreds of additional recruits progressing through its hiring and onboarding process. The airline continued international recruitment during recent regional disruption by moving some onboarding procedures online.
Monthly recruitment campaigns are being conducted within and outside the UAE. Following a recent campaign in Europe, further recruitment activity is planned in Africa and China.
Cabin-crew vacancies alone attract more than 100,000 applications. Etihad uses artificial-intelligence systems to screen and rank applications before shortlisted candidates are assessed by human interviewers.