Emirates Group, which owns Emirates Airline, has renewed a recruitment drive for Kenyan aeronautical technicians and ground handling staff just a year after Kenya Airways had indicated it was considering higher wages to entice back staff who had been poached by Gulf carriers.
Emirates Group’s aviation and travel services unit, Dnata, on Wednesday called on local airline technicians to apply for jobs.
“We are one of the largest air services providers with over 41,000 employees across six continents…We are seeking qualified maintenance professional to join our Dnata technical services team in Dubai,” said the UAE-based air services provider in a notice posted in local dailies yesterday.
It has singled out maintenance technicians in its latest hiring spree. In 2016, it also sought local engineers for various roles. The move piles pressure on troubled national carrier KQ that in the past grappled with mass staff exits and labour disputes.
Dnata is owned by the Emirates Group, the State-controlled international aviation holding company which also owns the top Gulf carrier.
The aviation services company provides ground handling services at 17 airports and the Emirates Airlines, the largest airline in the Middle East.
Early last year, KQ revealed it had lost more than 100 aeronautical engineers and technicians to rival airlines, in addition to losing 60 pilots to profitable Gulf carriers. The staff poaching, KQ said then, is not confined to its best engineers and has sometimes spilt over to non-technical employees too.
The national carrier blamed the attrition to poaching of skilled staff by Middle East airlines offering lucrative perks and salaries to KQ’s highly trained specialists.
Late last year, Kenya Airways moved to sack 131 engineers it accused of participating in an illegal strike at a time of mass exodus of technical staff.