Top 4 programs aimed at retaining cargo pilots

Emirates Pilot Roadshow

Even Emirates SkyCargo, which calls itself the largest international airline cargo operator in the world, is not immune to the pilot shortage.

“We’re a tad short in pilots, but should be alright by September or October,” Emirates president Tim Clark at a press conference in April in Hamburg, Germany. A lack of 100 to 150 pilots meant Emirates had to reduce frequencies. Affected routes included its connections from its Dubai hub to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, later reducing routes to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, London Heathrow, Munich, Oslo and Phuket.

In June, it announced a tour of the United States, the “Emirates Pilot Roadshow” with stops in Houston, Fort Lauderdale, Boston and Seattle to recruit first officers, direct-entry captains and less-experienced pilots for its national cadet pilot program to work from Dubai.

Unlike programs like the aforementioned FedEx Purple Runway program, Emirates’ program makes no promises to train candidates, instead, appealing to pilots that are already qualified with a list of benefits, including paid housing and “pick up and drop off” to and from the airport.

Emirates did not wish to participate in an interview with Air Cargo World, so there is no clear answer to whether or not Clark’s forecast for an improved pilot count by October has panned out.