Austrian Airlines is looking for about 100 new pilots. The Austrian national carrier is now making a special offer to airberlin pilots to move to Austria and work at the airline’s flight hub in Vienna.

The offer targets pilots who have been actively employed at airberlin over the last six months and have undergone revalidation of their licenses within the last twelve months i.e. the operator proficiency check (OPC) or license proficiency check (LPC).

Depending on their flying experience, Austrian Airlines is offering job changers a gross annual salary in accordance with the collective wage agreement of between EUR 53,739 and EUR 59,732.

This means that the collective wage agreement also includes a monthly bonus ranging between EUR 209 and EUR 428 depending on the pilot’s flying experience. This is complemented by possibilities to work overtime as well as pension fund payments. Moreover, a lump sum relocation package of EUR 15,000 is offered for pilots willing to transfer their place of employment. A special fast-track selection is designed to accelerate the relocation of pilots. Applicants will have to commit themselves to working for Austrian Airlines for a period of at least three years.

In addition to the so-called ready entry pilots who have completed their training, Austrian Airlines is also looking for aspiring pilots without flying experience (so-called ab initios).

The requirements demanded of prospective ab initio candidates include EU citizenship or a valid employment authorization for Austria, as well as a secondary school leaving certificate, secondary school vocational certificate, or the subject-related university entrance qualification of the country of origin. Furthermore, candidates should be at least 165 cm tall and have an unrestricted passport. In addition, they should have a very good command of written and spoken German and English. People wearing glasses or contact lenses may only have maximum of +5/-6 diopter lenses. More information is available to potential applicants at www.austrianpilot.at.

The Austrian Airlines fleet consists of 85 aircraft – from “turboprops” to the “Triple7”.

Austrian Airlines currently employs a staff of about 6,700 employees, including 1,140 pilots. The fleet consists of 85 aircraft at the present time, including 11 long-haul aircraft (Boeing 767 and 777) as well as 74 short-haul and medium-haul jets (Bombardier Dash 8, Embraer 195, Airbus 320F). Next year the airline plans to integrate a further Boeing 777 in its fleet.