UAE’s long-haul operator Emirates will be recruiting an additional 6,000 employees over the next six months to boost its workforce as it continues to restore its network worldwide.

The new recruits will fill several positions including pilots, cabin crew, engineering specialists and ground staff, the carrier said on Monday. Around 1,200 of the additional staff will include aircraft engineers and engineering support personnel.

The airline has been re-deploying its aircraft worldwide as COVID-19 restrictions eased and borders reopened to international travel. Emirates has so far restored 90 percent of its network and is confident it will reach 70 percent of its pre-pandemic capacity by the end of the year.

“As restrictions ease worldwide with the wider administration of the vaccine, additional pilots, cabin crew, engineering specialists and ground staff will be needed to support the airline's ramp up of operations across its global network in response to the sooner-than-expected surge in customer demand,” the airline said in a statement.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, said the recruitment drive is testament to the recovery of Dubai’s economy.

"Emirates has always been at the heart of Dubai's growth. Our requirement for 6,000 additional operational staff signifies the quick recovery Dubai's economy is witnessing and will lead to opportunities and other positive developments across various other businesses, including those in the Consumer, travel and tourism sectors,” Al Maktoum said.

"We have been prudently restoring our operations in line with the borders re-opening and ease of travel protocols, and with the positive signs in the economic recovery and continuous growth of demand, we are hopeful to be back to where we were pre-pandemic, from mid-2022."

The airline’s parent company, Emirates Group, reported a loss of 22.1 billion dirhams ($6 billion) for the financial year ended March 31, 2021.

Airlines around the world have incurred revenue losses after passenger traffic plummeted to record lows last year.

(Writing by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Seban Scaria )

cleofe.maceda@refinitiv.com

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