Etihad Airways announed its recruitment drive in the Sultanate of Oman has accepted the induction of 18 Omani cadet pilots. The airline's cadet pilot program launched in June 2007, in partnership with Horizon Flight Academy, the latter currently has 161 cadets pilots under training to be fully qualified airliner pilots.

Etihad Airways’ recruitment drive in Oman aims to recruit 400 Omani nationals by the end of 2012 covering airline's operations, cabin crew , maintenance and managerial positions.

The United Arab Emirates and Sultanate of Oman are both members of the Gulf Cooperation Council  (GCC) having a declared policy for unrestricted employment of the GCC nationals in all member countries.

Captain Richard Hill, Etihad Airways’ chief operations officer, said: “The recruitment, training and development of cadet pilots is of the utmost importance to Etihad Airways.  We are thrilled to welcome the Omani cadets and we are confident that they will play a vital role in maintaining our position as a leading global airline.”

As part of their training program, cadet pilots have to complete 750 hours of classroom tuition and 205 hours flight training in single and multi-engine aircraft to gain the frozen Airline Transport Pilots License (ATPL). During this time they also have to pass the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority’s theoretical knowledge and flying exams.

Tariq Al Abri, a new cadet pilot, commented , “My experience since joining Etihad has been overwhelming. Every day I spend here takes me one step closer to my dream of flying for the best in the business. I am eagerly looking forward  to working with highly motivated staff and not just giving but gaining knowledge and skills whether personal or professional.“