Qantas pilot recruitment drive attracts hundreds

The dream of flying a passenger jet is within the grasp of 500 wannabe Qantas pilots.

The lure of joining the ranks of Qantas pilots has seen applications flying in.

More than 500 hopefuls from Australia and overseas have ­applied for the 170 pilot positions Qantas aims to fill over the next three years as it prepares to introduce the Boeing Dreamliner to its fleet.

The recruitment drive, announced earlier this year, is the first time since 2009 Qantas has opened up new flying opportu­nities to external candidates.

Since applications opened last week, more than 500 pilots — mostly from Australia but also some from New Zealand and ­Europe — have submitted their resumes.

“We’re encouraging pilots across the industry and across the world to apply for a role with Qantas. The applicants who meet the Qantas standard will join the world’s most trusted group of ­pilots,” Qantas chief pilot Dick Tobiano said.

The airline said applications covered the spectrum of experience ranging from Boeing and Airbus pilots through to experienced prop pilots looking to graduate to jets.

The airline is now going through a detailed assessment and selection process before on-board training starts in January. The first of the new recruits are expected to be ready for duty by May.

It’s expected most of the new recruits will be brought on as ­second officers for Qantas’s A330 fleet.

Some pilots from Qantas’s regional arm, QantasLink, will be promoted to flying jets at Qantas so it, too, will also be looking for new recruits.

“I’m delighted that we have been able to create opportunities for our current flight crew this year and now can open up the doors to aspiring Qantas pilots,” Mr Tobiano said.

Qantas’s low-cost carrier Jetstar is also on a recruitment drive, with plans to boost its pilot ranks by 50 over the next two years.

Jetstar’s recruitment drive for Australia-based pilots will boost its overall pilot ranks from 800 to about 850 by 2018.

All new recruits will be brought on to fly Jetstar’s 59-strong fleet of Airbus A320s and A321s that operate across Australia and New Zealand.

The airline, which turns 12 this year, needs new first officers to contend with natural attrition from its workforce and to replace Qantas pilots who have been working at Jetstar on leave without pay. Those Qantas pilots have been returning to Qantas to help fill its recruitment needs.