Typhoonpilot

Emirates has been posting full page advertisements in the back of Flight International for the last few weeks. Of course they have been hiring at a steady pace for years, but it would seem the application pool is drying up.

I happen to have a fleet plan valid through 2012 in my hands. The last A340-500 comes this month plus two 777-300ERs. Three more 777-300ERs and an A310 freighter are coming this year then 13 777-300ERs and another A310 freighter next year. The A380 and A340-600 should start in 2007, but it is possible those A340-600s will be swapped for more 777s, The 777-200LR and more 300ERs would be a better choice and Airbus has given them the negotiating power to get out of the A340-600 by being so late with the A380. Speaking of the A380 it is now scheduled for an April 2007 start, but I see that slipping until late 2007 or early 2008. When they do start coming it will be at the rate of one every other month through 2012.

What does all this mean for hiring numbers. Were are just shy of 1300 pilots today with 74 airplanes. That works out to just over 8 crew per airplane. With a projected fleet of 142 by 2012 that would require around 2400 pilots. Counting for attrition that would mean an intake of close to 200 pilots per year for the next 7 years.

Current fleet stands at 29 A330-200s, 8 A340-300s, 9 A340-500s, 2 A310s, 3 777-200s, 6 777-200ERs, 12 777-300s, and 5 777-300ERs.

There should be news coming out of the Dubai Air Show in November on new aircraft.

Preference is given to pilots current ( within one year ) on the 737NG series, 747-400, 757, 767, 777, A320 series, A330, A340, and A300/310. I also see the occasional MD-80/90, Bae-146, 737-200, 747 Classic, MD-11, DC-10, and L-1011 drivers getting hired. They are still refusing to hire people out of the RJs. I had a chat with the manager of pilot recruitment about that and she agrees they would be a good source, but it isn't her decision. That may change soon as I know there are others who agree that is a good source of pilots. We may have a slight management shake-up coming that will eliminate the guy who refuses the RJ drivers.

Check out www.emiratesgroupcareers.com for more info.


Typhoonpilot

Murano

Thanks! Good info, once again.

SWAcapt

Starting Capt. pay = $100.39 USD/hr. F.O pay = $64.35 USD/hr.
($28,659 Dhs divided by 3.66 conversion = $7830.33 divided by 78 hrs = $100.39) F.O. pay is tax exempt and first 75K of capt pay is tax free. The post below is from their website.

EMPLOYMENT PACKAGES

CAPTAIN SALARY:

Monthly Salary
Starting Salary is Dhs 28,650 and is reviewed annually. (1 US$ = 3.66 UAE Dirhams). The salary is tax free.

Productivity Pay
For each block hour above approximately 78 hours per month, an additional Dhs 400

GENERAL CONDITIONS:
Place of Employment
All positions are permanent and based in Dubai, one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the Middle East, well known for its wealth of fantastic shopping, sporting opportunities and a wonderful social life.

Provident Fund
Emirates provide a company sponsored Provident Fund.

Company Contributions:
First 10 years - 12% of basic salary
After 10 years - 15% of basic salary

Entitlement on Resignation:
Within the first 5 years - No entitlement to Company Contributions - End of Service Benefit applies
Between 5 and 7 years - The entitlement is 75% of the company's contribution
After 7 years - The entitlement is 100% of the company's contribution

Accommodation
Utility Allowance or Fully furnished accommodation (including water & electricity) is supplied.

Transport
All transport while on duty is supplied by the company. Additionally an interest free car loan is available for new joiners (Dhs 55,000).

Health Cover
Free health cover (medical and dental) for the employee. Subsidised medical insurance for spouse and dependent children.

Employee Insurance Benefits
Insurance benefits for the employee include Loss of Licence Insurance (36x basic salary) and both Life Assurance and Accident Insurance (48x basic salary).

Children's Educational Benefits
Education assistance is provided for a maximum of 3 dependent children (between the ages of 4 and 19, in full-time school equivalent education). The allowances per child are: -

Primary School:
Reimbursement of 100% of the first Dhs 10,000 and 90% of remainder up to a limit of Dhs 25,000 per academic year.

Secondary School:
Reimbursement of 100% of the first Dhs 20,000 and 90% of remainder up to a limit of Dhs 42,000 per academic year.

Profit Sharing
The company has in the past few years paid a profit share bonus for all employees, which is dependent on company performance.

Annual Leave
42 days per year.

Privilege Travel
Free air travel for employee, spouse and eligible dependant children once a year to the Annual Leave Destination. On other occasions, after a qualifying period, discounted travel is available.

FIRST OFFICER SALARY:

Monthly Salary
Starting Salary is Dhs 18,370 and is reviewed annually. (1 US$ = 3.66 UAE Dirhams). The salary is tax free.
On promotion to Captain, a pilot's salary is increased by ten steps. The minimum initial salary on promotion to Captain is Dhs 26,210 per month.

Productivity Pay
For each block hour above approximately 78 hours per month, an additional Dhs 280


GENERAL CONDITIONS:
Place of Employment
All positions are permanent and based in Dubai, one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the Middle East, well known for its wealth of fantastic shopping, sporting opportunities and a wonderful social life.

Provident Fund
Emirates provide a company sponsored Provident Fund.

Company Contributions:
First 10 years - 12% of basic salary
After 10 years - 15% of basic salary

Entitlement on Resignation:
Within the first 5 years - No entitlement to Company Contributions – End of Service Benefit applies
Between 5 and 7 years - The entitlement is 75% of the company's contribution
After 7 years - The entitlement is 100% of the company's contribution

Accommodation
Utility Allowance or Fully furnished accommodation (including water & electricity) is supplied.

Transport
All transport while on duty is supplied by the company. Additionally an interest free car loan is available for new joiners (Dhs 55,000).

Health Cover
Free health cover (medical and dental) for the employee. Subsidised medical insurance for spouse and dependent children.

Employee Insurance Benefits
Insurance benefits for the employee include Loss of Licence Insurance (36x basic salary) and both Life Assurance and Accident Insurance (48x basic salary).

Children's Educational Benefits
Education assistance is provided for a maximum of 3 dependent children (between the ages of 4 and 19, in full-time school equivalent education). The allowances per child are: -

Primary School:
Reimbursement of 100% of the first Dhs 10,000 and 90% of remainder up to a limit of Dhs 25,000 per academic year.

Secondary School:
Reimbursement of 100% of the first Dhs 20,000 and 90% of remainder up to a limit of Dhs 42,000 per academic year.

Profit Sharing
The company has in the past few years paid a profit share bonus for all employees, which is dependent on company performance.

Annual Leave
42 days per year.

Privilege Travel
Free air travel for employee, spouse and eligible dependant children once a year to the Annual Leave Destination. On other occasions, after a qualifying period, discounted travel is available.

1. Background on Emirates Flight Operations 2. Employment Package
3. Career Progression and Rostering 4. Minimum Requirements
5. Selection Process 6. On-line Application Form

Typhoonpilot

"Starting Capt. pay = $100.39 USD/hr. F.O pay = $64.35 USD/hr.
($28,659 Dhs divided by 3.66 conversion = $7830.33 divided by 78 hrs = $100.39) F.O. pay is tax exempt and first 75K of capt pay is tax free. The post below is from their website."


Good info from the website SWAcapt, but a small correction if I may. As an American living overseas your first $80,000 in foreign earned income is tax free. Beyond that you still have your normal tax deductions. You really need to be making over $100,000 per year before worrying about taxes. As a first officer at Emirates the package is easily the equivalent of USD 100,000 per year in the States, and that is starting pay

TP

LAfrequentflyer

UAE is a good place to work...I have family friends working in Dubai and Doha (Qatar) and they love the area / people.

widespreadpanic

Hope the guy that dislikes RJ pilots is leaving soon!!!!

I would go yesterday if given an opportunity.

Been to Dubai several times. Other than being warmer than most places it is an awesome town.

Typhoon thanks for the great info.

WP

SWAcapt

Typhoon, thanks for the correction, I was unaware that the exemption was raised to 80K.

hiplanesdrifter

Gentlemen and Ladies,

Please also consider:

1. Dubai has a high cost of living. Education allowance does not completely cover the cost of children attending the American School of Dubai,(ASD) which is the only "not-for-profit" USA curriculum school in the city. There are other schools offering USA curricula, however they are owned privately and operate "for profit". Currently, it is costing me 2000 Dhs/month to send one (1) child to ASD. That is significant. Vehicle insurance costs are high, approximately 4.5-6% of the purchase value of your vehicle per year.
2. The pace of work here, compared to a unionized major carrier will be at variance to what you are accustomed to. The JAR maximum of 100 hours/28 days is regularly exercised and near max (90-95 hrs/month) are used as blocking targets. Overtime is not voluntary, it is mandated. The credit hours greatly favour the company of course. The clock stops running when you set the brake at the gate - so while you sign the aircraft tech-log, complete safety related paperwork, wait for the pax to de-plane, (and for whom you are still responsible) you are working for free. You are credited/payed the nominal value of block time as determined by the company. For example if you have a tech snag after push back, you are on your own time. No overtime eligibilty during months with vacation, or recurrent training. This can hurt, because you can still work your ass off and get zip for it. The new "stand-by" system is horrible. It is a period, approx. once per year, of 30-35 days of continuous rolling standby. Days off are awarded daily by the rostering department. The minimum Flight Time Limitation of 7 days/month free of duty will apply. You may not have vacation or bid for days off during a standby month. Put that in your papers and smoke it...
3. Most of you can work out the numbers, but anyone hired from now on is basically going to be a career FO. Don't be dazzled by the prospect of growth.

Please think carefully Compadres.

hiplanesdrifter

Typhoonpilot

HPD brings up some good points to consider in making a move. I would agree with some, but generally disagree with others.

Yes, Dubai is expensive, no doubt about it. It is manageable though and certainly not as expensive as many cities around the world. The American Schools are expensive in relation to the International and English schools. If you have school age kids this is an area that needs extensive research before making a decision to move here.

The car insurance rate is a bit pricey. The insurance companies depreciate the car over a 7 year period. In other words they reduce the value 15% per year. If you start with a new car it can be expensive, but as the car gets older they become progressively cheaper to insure. There are lots of deals on 2 and 3 year old Mercedes, BMWs, and Toyotas here. Gas is now $1.70/gallon.

HPD is apparently on the other fleet. There is a big difference between the Airbus and the 777 and how hard we work. The Airbus guys have been taking it in the shorts. While I don't doubt that HPD is working hard, I don't feel that way at all.

The reserve system is aweful In my 5 years at a major airline in the States I was on reserve almost the entire time. Here at Emirates I'm on reserve, at most, twice per year. That and the other months I actually get to bid where I fly. Four months of the year I get almost exactly what I want to do. I did that as a junior first officer and I do it now as a very junior captain. I could never have done that in the States.

Upgrade times will increase, no doubt about it. The time that a person will stay an expat is generally not for a full career. People will move on and it generally happens around the 7 to 10 year time frame. There are a lot of refugees here, myself included. If they have a chance to move closer to home you can bet they will look very closely at it and many will jump. That will keep upgrades happening. They won't be at the historical three year point, but should stay within seven years.


Typhoonpilot

PILOTGUY

I would also recommend going to the PPRuNe forums to look at some of the Emirates postings there. A large variety of people. I decided against it. Cost of living is high, but also housing problems if the price goes up, the company will just move you rather than pay the higher cost. Main reason is that the upgrades are non-existant and whatever aircraft you are initially given, you are stuck in. There is apparently no aircraft type movement. You get stuck in the 300, that is your new lifelong friend.
There is some really good info here in the previous posts, just make sure you do a lot of research. Good luck to all that go.