The Direct Entry Captains programme is for technically skilled captains with a minimum of 3,000 hours of recent command on Airbus fly-by-wire wide-body aircraft such as the A330, A340, A350, and A380. Candidates are required to have a minimum of 7,000 hours of total flying time on multi-crew, multi-engine aircraft, in addition to meeting other eligibility criteria.
The airline’s all wide-body fleet is one of the youngest and most advanced in the world, and includes Emirates’ iconic Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s. Emirates will start receiving its fleet of A350s mid-2024 and 777-9s in 2025.
In the last five months, the airline has welcomed 172 new pilots on its three recruitment programmes – Direct Entry Captains, Accelerated Command, and First Officers.