Emirates has relaunched its Accelerated Command programme, inviting Captains with Airbus fly-by-wire experience to rev up their careers and live in dynamic Dubai. The airline continues to also recruit First Officers across its fleet.
Accelerated Command Programme (ACP)
Ambitious Captains will join Emirates as A380 First Officers on an enhanced salary package. They are eligible for an accelerated command upgrade after a minimum of 700 flying hours and two successful recurrent checks. Typically, Emirates pilots achieve these milestones in little over a year as they fly a mix of ultra-long, long- and short-haul routes. The ACP is primarily designed for experienced Airbus Captains, who currently command narrow-body aircraft on regional routes, and wish to dial up their careers working with a global airline brand.
Emirates’ network spanning six continents is served by an all-wide body fleet with routes that crisscross all terrains – over the pole, the Himalayas, deserts, sea-level destinations and high altitude airfields. The airline’s complex and challenging operations make it essential for future A380 Captains to join as First Officers and undergo comprehensive training to meet leading safety standards before they can safely command the world’s largest commercial aircraft.
First Officer Yusri Abu Bakar from Singapore said, “I’ve been a First Officer at Emirates for 3 years now, and I’ve had the most amazing career flying our Airbus A380s – one of the youngest fleets in the skies. With our global network, I could be flying to San Francisco one week, Sydney the next, followed by Johannesburg or Paris. The flight and cabin crew teams are highly skilled, extremely safety conscious and enjoy an easy camaraderie and teamwork. That’s all really down to the training – top-notch facilitators, infrastructure and simulators. And living in Dubai among 200 nationalities, superb sporting venues and entertainment, five star hotels, pubs, restaurants and the food scene – that’s incomparable!”
Compensation and Benefits
Emirates offers a range of benefits designed for pilots and their families to lead an enriching and enjoyable lifestyle. This includes competitive tax-free salary, generous accommodation and education allowances, excellent medical and dental cover, life insurance, and bonus eligibility. Pilots are chauffeured between home and work, and enjoy concessional cargo, as well as travel benefits for their entire family and friends across the airline’s network. The Emirates Platinum card offers a range of exclusive employee privileges and discounts across thousands of retail and hospitality outlets locally and globally.
Training and Career Growth
The airline’s training facility houses 10 full-flight simulators for Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s. Emirates invests in robust, evidence-based training programmes in-house with highly experienced instructors in specially designed environments. This ensures pilots are fully trained and find flying the airline’s fleet fulfilling and interesting. Captains can advance in their careers to roles in management, training and recruitment.
Eligibility
To qualify for the ACP, captains need to have a minimum of 7,000 hours, of which 3,000 hours are command time, on multi-crew, multi-engine commercial aircraft with maximum take-off weight of 50 tonnes or more. They must currently be type rated as a commander on an Airbus FBW aircraft with a minimum of 1,500 hours on type.
Investment in fleet and connectivity
With Emirates’ continuous investments in renewing its fleet, the airline’s order book currently stands at 197 new aircraft with a mix of Airbus A350-900s, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and Boeing 777-Xs.
Ian Thomas
