Do Airbus employ pilots?
 

Does anybody know if AI employ pilots for ferry / delivery flights.

Or are there any employment agencies for pilots to do ad hoc flying in Airbus aircraft or other types.

I would love to quit the airline rat race but "keep my hand in" with a trip once or twice a month.

Or corporate Airbus ops.

Any info would be appreciated.

I met a couple of Airbus pilots once, or so they claimed. Their rosters were about the worst I've ever seen.

Hello!

In a nutshell, yes, Airbus does employ pilots, who are airbus employees:

1- Flight tests
2- Acceptance flights
3- Airbus training
4- corporate shuttle (making its way to the grave, as subcontractors are more effective & cost less money)

The only agency I've ever heard about when I was down in Toulouse was Mach 2000. No more info about it.

5- Parts delivery - Super Transporter A300-600ST

but if you want a job, you had better start forging a french passport...

Merci for the info.

Thought it would be the case.

Can anybody suggest a recruitment company that can handle my details and advise if short term contracts / summer work etc becomes available? Not looking for full time work, just flexibility.

You do not need a French passport to be hired by Airbus. I know several people who have joined Airbus, none of them are French.

What does seem to be a common factor among them, is that they cultivated the contacts they made during their type rating training in Toulouse. They were also all TRI/TRE.

At least 4 ex. Sabena TRE's are now working for Airbus (one is the ex. Sabena DFO) and I believe that they are currently training the A380 line-pilots for different airlines.

A number of China Airlines pilots have an Airbus contract, all belgians and ex-Sabena as far as I know.

There is a Canuk amongst the CA crew who is a personal friend, it seems that the CA management are trying to get a 'cheaper' option than using Airbus pilots by going direcly to the market - see Jobs in FI which reflects this.

TOD

Once again, thanks for the info.

For the jobs at Airbus, do they employ directly or do they recruit from an agency. I have tried the AI website but it is rediculously cumbersome - I just want to email some questions without filling out 800 years of work history and how many pets I have.

Thanks again.

I can believe that: had a similar experience with Eurocopter (also EADS) in Marseilles. Sadly had to decline :{

I understand that the Airbus guys training pilots for other airlines are doing so in difficult circumstances.

Money not that great, living in different cultures than what they are used to, long periods way from home, working in an environment where the "local" pilots speak amongst themselves and in their own language on the flightdeck and you dont seen any crew members whilst downroute, etc.

Even test pilots are not always hired directly by Airbus, but most of them. (Also engineers are partly hired via third party companies, that's part of their employment politics.) Of course it "feels" as if you are working for Airbus, but in your contract is stated another employer.

The shuttle crews are not Airbus employees, since Airbus does not operate the shuttles itself (operated by PrivatAir or OLT or WDL on behalf of Airbus). The airplanes even are not entirely Airbusses, also BAe-146 and Saab 2000, because obviously Airbus does not build planes that size.

The Beluga crews are all former French military pilots with one exception (known to me).

I dunno much (if anything) about the training pilots, but can imagine that personnel of training facilities are also partly subcontracted.

Sorry, that doesn't make things easier, I know.

Airbus does employ in-house pilots on corporate shuttles.

On top of WDL and Privatair, they operate 4/5 corvettes (based in TLS) that are planned to be phased out in the next 2/3 years. All these crews will then be dispatched to other entities.

As far as I know, no chance to get a seat in a Beluga unless you're French, have 5000+ Hrs under your belt, and have a tick if some other mentioned boxes hereabove...

I think it's easier to get a job at the delivery center than in Airbus Transport Intl'...

5 Rings

Yeah, I forgot about the VIP "shuttles", which by the way do also photo flights as chasing aircraft. Somehow I was more focussed on aircraft which transport something meaningful... :}

I can confirm 5 Rings' "Beluga Requirements" though.

Its a bit early for me, but anyone know if Airbus would be interested in British RAF fast jet pilot 2000 mil hours, speaks fluent french whose leaving option from the RAF is in 2 years time, to work out of Toulouse.
(Just doing ATPL)
Thanks

I know of several guys who have worked for Airbus, or who had the chance to and they have all had a lot of time on various Airbus models and had many years checking and training so they could instruct Airbus customers. With no civilian jet/airline time, let alone command time your chances would be small.

abbotyobs!!
 

G'Day!

2000hrs FJ military is good solid stuff. Any Istres? Because there are occasional ads placed in the press and on the website for TRE/TRI/Synthetic. The text is inclined towards 5000hrs types but Istres if you have it is a very valuable counterweight. If you visit Farnborough seek out name tabs Fernando, Colin and Stuart. Or a French speaking Dutch West Indian with an Aussie accent who drinks G+T.

Best Rgds

The "E"

A friend just left the airline company as an instructor on the a330/340 for Airbus. He is now a Flight Instructor with Airbus and is on a rather stable roster with one month simulator training, 4 to 6 weeks line introduction (mainly with the same pilots he checked out on the sim) and then ´bout 4 weeks off. No tax for the time working out of Europe ,overall quite a good salary and a perfect lifestyle, living in an old french country style house.
For applying for a job as a training captain you have to have logged a lot of Airbus hours. The pilots are hires from all over the world, just seems that being British is a disadvantage -sorry!