ETIHAD AIRWAYS boss James Hogan arrived here yesterday for the two-day forum of global business leaders at Dublin Castle.
He had some good news on the jobs front. Starting in November, Etihad will look to recruit 100 or more cabin crew in Ireland.
Of course, these positions will be based in Abu Dhabi. Still, they should generate plenty of interest, with pay packages amounting to about €40,000 a year tax-free and subsidised accommodation.
“If we can find 200, we’ll take them,” Hogan said, while praising the Irish work ethic. Etihad will hire about 2,000 new crew in 2012 as its continues expanding.
Unfortunately, Dublin recently lost out to Manchester as the location for its European call centre.
Etihad has been flying from Dublin to Abu Dhabi since 2007. It offers 10 flights a week and has invested €16 million here since its launch. Hogan stressed the route is busy and profitable.
Will it go twice-daily? “The endgame is to get to that point, it’s just a matter of when.”
Etihad will face stiffer competition from January when Dubai-based rival Emirates launches here. Hogan is sanguine.
“We compete with them on most of the routes we fly. My view is that the more direct flights to the Middle East the better. There’ll be even less reason for people to fly through London, Amsterdam, Paris or Frankfurt.”
Etihad’s sponsorship of the All-Ireland Hurling Championship is up for renewal. “We are in discussions with the GAA,” is all Hogan would say but it is expected to renew.
The airline will shortly move into new offices on Dublin’s Dawson Street – in a building under Nama’s control as it happens – and has signed a code-share deal with Aer Arann on its new Kerry-Dublin route, which starts on November 3rd.
In relation to the forum, Hogan believes a “lot more can be done with ’brand Ireland’, especially in the Middle East and Asia”.
He’d like to see our visa rules relaxed so UAE nationals could fly directly here on short stays without the paperwork.
“We’d like to see that changed and access simplified.”
Hogan was also planning to have a “word” with Dublin Airport Authority chief Declan Collier about passenger charges. “In our opinion, the charges are too excessive. They need to come down.”