First international cadet pilots join Etihad programme

The new group, containing 12 cadet pilots from countries around the world including Hungary, Canada and the United Kingdom, follows Etihad's highly successful Emirati cadet pilot programme.

Following a comprehensive selection process the first intake of 12 cadet pilots have now embarked upon the 18 month training course at Etihad's training academy at its Abu Dhabi home-base and at the Horizon International Flight Academy in Al Ain.

Richard Hill, Etihad Airways' executive vice president operations, said:

"The arrival of our first intake of international cadet pilots marks the latest development in the growth of the pilot community here at Etihad where UAE nationals will now learn to fly side-by-side with other nationalities from around the world. The new group of international cadet pilots have started their training positively and been welcomed by their Emirati colleagues who have helped them settle in to their new surroundings in the UAE."

Etihad now has six groups of cadet pilots in training, with a further Emirati group scheduled to start in December 2008 as well as a second international group.

"There has been a huge response from around the world with potential cadet pilots wishing to join Etihad's ranks which highlights our growing global profile. We continue to receive increasing numbers of applications for the programme every week."

The minimum entry age to become a pilot is 18 years old, and in order to open the airline's cadet pilot programme up to as many applicants as possible, Etihad increased the maximum entry age from 24 to 28 years-old.

Following a rigorous selection process successful candidates were invited to Abu Dhabi to attend presentations from senior members of Etihad's flight deck crew, as well as undertaking comprehensive skills and aptitude testing plus security and medical checks.

To complete the Etihad pilot programme a cadet has to complete 930 hours of classroom tuition and 205 hours flight training in single and multi-engine aircraft.

During this time they must pass the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority's technical and flying exams to be issued a UAE Airline Transport Pilots' License.

Once in possession of their ATPL they will join the airline as a second officer and undergo specific training on their allocated aircraft during which time they will be use one of Etihad's state-of-the-art simulators.

After approximately six months they will qualify as a first officer and become a valuable member of the Etihad pilot community.

Etihad's Emirati cadet pilot programme has grown considerably since it was launched in January 2007 and now boasts 55 UAE nationals who are currently training to become fully qualified pilots with the UAE's national airline.