African Airlines
 

Hello,

I wanted to know whether they are any pilots on the forum who have worked or have experience with any of the African Airlines (Ethiopian, Egypt airlines etc.)? I would like to know the culture, pay, where pilots are based out of, and any insight about working as a pilot in Africa.

You probably won’t find anyone on this forum. Try Pprune but even there it might be tough.

You'll find quite a few here with Africa experience.

First question: have you ever experienced Africa?

Or even any other developing country? Compared to first world (USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe), they are a whole different world. And no, I would not say a tourist place, like Cancun, is that kind of experience.

I spent quite a bit of time in Africa as a result of the 08' 09' financial fiasco. That being said, it was on the corporate jet side, not the airline side. Can't answer airline questions, but odds are pretty good I can answer flight questions regarding flying throughout the majority of Africa. Interesting times...

I've never experienced Africa or the 3rd world but I am considering living in Africa. ClDriver I will PM you if that is ok.

Africa is a big place. It's also a very diverse place, perhaps more so than any other continent. Where you live makes a big difference.

I spent a decade in Africa. Where r u thinking? It’s big place and every country is different. There’s not a lot of upward mobility in that you won’t or shouldn’t expect to show up and get a paid type rating. They tend to hire pilots with experience on type. Also, you’ll want to show up in person for a general aviation position search and airline gigs are usually through an agency and on contract. Let me know your experience level and qualifications and why u want to go and I’ll give u the best advice I can.

I will PM you.

I used to fly in Africa a lot with a US carrier... guess which one. I loved flying there though it's definitely super challenging. It's also a very diverse continent and it's not all huts and under developed communities like portrayed in the media. Many cities are starting to resemble the US or Europe and are highly functioning in every aspect, others are still like Mad-Max Beyond Thunder-dome. I'm not the most experienced guy on here but I'd recommend 1. Going to Legacy that flies there like UA or Delta and experience it that way. 2. Going the DoD route and flying there as a contractor working 60 ON/60 OFF. 3. If you just want to live in Africa? Go to Atlas you can live anywhere in the world. 4. Flying for EK or Etihad out of DXB. In that order. Same goes with Southeast Asia as a I've known quite a few guys living/working there, better to work for a US carrier like Atlas for the stability.

I also know a fair number of Americans that worked for a local carrier in XYZ country. The mainline widebody pay and QOL there doesn't even beat regionals, there's no pilot shortage outside the US. I also know a guy that flew corporate there for a long time and made good money, he was also local to the country he flew in and it sounds like he worked out a good deal but he still bailed and came to the US eventually. I'd say he's probably the exception rather than the rule. For the record, the worst/most dangerous experiences there I've heard have been in Nigeria. I've also had some experiences there as well, I don't think I'd ever want to live or work there unless it was on a US mil installation.