The airline companies in the West are currently experiencing a mass exodus of their pilots, who have been leaving their national companies or national carriers for other new airlines where the salaries and perks are two to three times higher than their current salary. Most of these new airlines are termed very young in the market and are in an expansion mode.
One of the most successful examples of this is Emirates, an airline company of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and based out of Dubai. The Emirates airline was set up in 1985 and carries out recruitment campaigns all over the world and currently has around 50,000 employees across 100 countries. The company is a formidable player in global aviation and is a serious competitor to Air France, the first French airline.
The airline industry is highly competitive especially for recruiting good talent and it has become essential for airlines to develop a communication strategy for effective recruitment. It is in this context of strong competition that Air France and Emirates adopt different methods in their policies and strategies on recruiting pilots and cabin crew (flight attendants).
Emirates Airline has a mass recruitment policy that meets an enormous growth as the company pursues limitless expansion. The airline is the largest buyer of A380s creating a need for additional pilots and cabin crew. The recruitment is conducted around the world and selections are held mainly in countries where English is spoken.
Air France by contrast, recruits pilots mainly of French nationality with qualification recognized in France. For example, there are pilots who hold valid pilot license in the United Stated but the license is not recognized by Air France.
The internet or e-recruitment is vital to Air France, as the use of internet has its advantages is cost and speed. In contrast Emirates uses local recruitment agencies to set up and organize interviews with potential employees from that country where it is to start operations.
The two companies Air France and Emirates do not just offer jobs but they also develop strategies for recruitment and communication to promote an enhanced image of themselves to attract young talent.
Tags: Recruiting policy of Air France, Emirates, Differences in recruiting policy and strategy in Air France and Emirates,
[...] The employees of Air France are directly involved with the recruitment communications of the company. So this is a friendly exchange between potential job applicants and the employees of Air France. Any member on the staff of Air France is free to comment on how it performs and how he views his job within the company. This doesn't mean just description of his job but what it feels like and the extra-curricular advantages etc. This helps to avoid a cumbersome formatted, calibrated and sanitized testimony. [...]
[...] The company stresses on the importance of training and only accepts permits form those places whose training programs they approve of. But this rule does not prevent foreign companies and their pilots from landing in France. Emirates has a less demanding selection process: For the recruitment of PNC, the selection process at Emirates is less demanding than Air France. The qualities that the candidates are expected to have are adaptability, integration capacity, autonomy, team spirit and openness. The quality of their spoken English must be good enough to pass the selection tests. [...]
[...] The CSS is essential in France and nowhere else. The selection process for pilots is particularly elitist in Air France. The first channel of the recruitment industry is the ‘Cadet Pilot.' These are young, paid, training pilots, this attracts 1300 students each year and only fifty or sixty candidates are selected out of these. Air France recruits almost all the pilots that graduate from the ENAC (the National school for civilian aviation) and experienced pilots from smaller airlines such as Air Lib, AOM-Air Liberte and Air Littoral . [...]
[...] For example, it is forbidden to take friends into the bedrooms and they are forbidden to leave after a certain time at night. For Air France pilots over 60 years Working beyond the age of 60 is impossible for a pilot in Air France. The Code of Civil Aviation forbids him to work after 65 even if he is in great shape. Emirates, meanwhile, does not have the same constraints. That is why 10% of the pilots, who retire from Air France, emigrate and continue to work for Emirates. [...]
[...] Conclusion The differences in policies and recruitment strategies between Emirates and Air France are numerous. Emirates is growing company and so, is recruiting heavily abroad. They have a selection process that is less elitist than Air France. Recruitment at Emirates is more diversified, occurs on a larger scale and is more international. Emirates insists on maintaining the cultural diversity of the company. The Dubai-based company has managed to adapt more easily and quickly than Air France to the changing airline market and to globalization. [...]
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