Recruitment drive in Dubai; Riyadh Air to hire cabin crew, pilots

Saudi Arabia’s new carrier, Riyadh Air, which will take to the skies in mid-2025, will hold a recruitment drive in Dubai to hire hundreds of employees across various positions, a senior official said.

“In terms of positions, we are recruiting cabin crew, pilots, engineers, maintenance and various corporate positions. We will be holding recruitment days in Dubai, Paris and Saudi Arabia in the fourth quarter of this year. We are aiming to recruit 300 cabin crew by the end of 2024, with the first joiners due to start in the first quarter of 2024,” Peter Bellew, chief operating officer of Riyadh Air, told Khaleej Times in an interview.

The airline held a recruitment roadshow in London in October. The airline, launched by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF), expects to create 200,000 jobs directly and indirectly by 2030.

“We continue to build our world-class team. Since the announcement of our launch (March 2023), we’ve already had over 900,000 applications, of which 52 per cent are women, from over 200 nationalities,” he said.

Riyadh Air, which is on schedule to take to the skies in mid-2025 with a number of routes both regionally and internationally, is set to fly to more than 100 destinations by 2030 and also play a key role in contributing to Saudi Arabia’s wider economic diversification and jobs creation, toward realising Vision 2030 goals.

“We are committed to building a diverse team that will oversee our operations globally and we invite candidates with passion and ambition from all around the world to help us build a new world-class airline that will shape the future of aviation,” said Bellew.

He added that the carrier is looking for people with a wide range of experience and expertise. People interested in joining Riyadh Air can look for opportunities and apply through its website.

Dubai Airshow

The Saudi carrier will take part in the Dubai Airshow from November 13 to 17 and will reportedly announce a mega order during the five-day exhibition.

• Riyadh Air to launch in 2025, seeking 700+ pilots for Saudi Arabian operations