Etihad Airways has hosted open day sessions to recruit staff from budget carrier Wizz Air, which is suspending its Abu Dhabi operations from September.
“We’ve extended our support to affected colleagues and have hosted open days to provide them with potential opportunities at Etihad,” Dr Nadia Bastaki, chief people, government and corporate affairs officer of Etihad Aviation Group, told The National.
“This response reflects our broader responsibility to contribute positively to the aviation ecosystem in the region, particularly in challenging times.”
The push to hire Wizz Air workers is part of Etihad's plans to hire pilots, cabin crew, engineers and airport staff to boost its head count by 1,500 this year alone.
The Abu Dhabi-based airline, which currently has a workforce of 12,000 people, plans to recruit 2,000 workers every year for the next five years as part of its ambitious growth plan to double its fleet and passenger volumes by 2030, according to Dr Bastaki.
“Our focus is on attracting top-tier talent and ensuring that all efforts align with Etihad’s long-term expansion while fostering the development of UAE nationals within our workforce,” she said.
The challenge for the industry in the future is attracting talent, Arik De, chief revenue and commercial officer of Etihad Airways, told The National onboard the delivery flight of Etihad's first Airbus A321LR from Hamburg to Abu Dhabi last week.
Earlier this month, Wizz Air said it was suspending operations in Abu Dhabi to focus on core markets following a “comprehensive reassessment”.
The no-frills airline cited operational challenges, including engine problems that led to the grounding of aircraft, among reasons for the exit. It began operations in the UAE capital in January 2021.
The move by Wizz Air leaves about 450 staff in limbo as some will be unable to relocate to the airline's European operations without European passports or visas, according to a Bloomberg report.
Expansion push
Etihad Airways is hiring amid a major expansion push with a plan to carry 38 million passengers annually and grow its fleet to 220 planes by 2030.
In June, Etihad said it carried 20 million people in a rolling 12-month period for the first time and was operating 101 aircraft.
This month, Emirates Group also announced a major hiring spree with plans to recruit 17,300 people including more cabin crew, pilots and engineers as well as cargo, catering and ground handling staff.
The Dubai-based aviation group's plans to add staff in 350 different roles in the financial year ending March 2026 will boost its total workforce by 14 per cent.
Boeing's latest 20-year outlook for commercial pilots, crew and technicians shows that the industry will require nearly 2.4 million new aviation professionals globally by 2044 to meet the long-term increase in air travel.
In the Middle East, airlines will need a total of 234,000 new aviation personnel by 2044. They will be made up of 67,000 pilots, 63,000 technicians and 104,000 cabin crew, Boeing said in its 2025 Pilot and Technician Outlook report.
Return to first-class
Etihad will embark on a programme to refresh its older aircraft in the fourth quarter of 2026 or the first quarter of 2027, Mr De said. It will cost around $1 billion.
The retrofit programme will include older Boeing 777s, 787-9 Dreamliners, Airbus A350s and the A321 classic version, he said.
This will entail bringing a first-class seat, lie-flat business-class seats and “surprise” product announcements that will be revealed “sooner than later”, he added.
Etihad plans to equip its entire fleet of wide bodies and narrow bodies with a first-class product by 2030, going against an industry-wide trend of many airlines removing their first-class seats and improving their business-class product.
“We want to have all the planes in Etihad with a first-class [product] – that’s the target in five years,” Etihad chief executive Antonoaldo Neves said in Hamburg during a media briefing last week.
Etihad took delivery of the first of 30 A321LR narrowbodies from the Airbus facility in Hamburg last week, showcasing first-class seats on a small plane. Another nine A321LRs will be handed over this year, 10 in 2026, five in 2027 and another five in 2028.
After the 10th plane, the incoming A321LR deliveries will feature new changes, according to Mr De.
“It will be bolder and better. Next year will be a different product,” he said, declining to provide details.
Airbus A380 operations
Etihad Airways is also considering returning more of its Airbus A380s to service, Mr De added.
It currently operates seven of its 10 double-deckers. In June it started operating the A380 on daily flights to Toronto, boosting capacity by 31 per cent.
“We continue to explore bringing additional A380s back,” Mr De said. “We want more A380s back, but we don't want to bring them if they don't bring us money.”
Etihad began to gradually reintroduce A380s to the fleet after they were grounded by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when global air travel came to a near-standstill.
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Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
More on Quran memorisation:
Specs
Engine: 3.0L twin-turbo V6
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 405hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 562Nm at 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.2L/100km
Price: From Dh292,845 (Reserve); from Dh320,145 (Presidential)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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PRISCILLA
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
AIDA%20RETURNS
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Results
6.30pm Madjani Stakes Rated Conditions (PA) I Dh160,000 I 1,900m I Winner: Mawahib, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
7.05pm Maiden Dh150,000 I 1,400m I Winner One Season, Antonio Fresu, Satish Seemar
7.40pm: Maiden Dh150,000 I 2,000m I Winner Street Of Dreams, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
8.15pm Dubai Creek Listed I Dh250,000 I 1,600m I Winner Heavy Metal, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.50pm The Entisar Listed I Dh250,000 I 2,000m I Winner Etijaah, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson
9.25pm The Garhoud Listed I Dh250,000 I 1,200m I Winner Muarrab, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
10pm Handicap I Dh160,000 I 1,600m I Winner Sea Skimmer, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
WHAT%20IS%20THE%20LICENSING%20PROCESS%20FOR%20VARA%3F
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How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
