Etihad Airways operates 128 aircraft from Abu Dhabi — B787 Dreamliners, A350-1000s, A321LRs, A320s, B777s, A380s, and B777 Freighters. With 60 new widebodies on order and a fleet doubling to 200+ by 2030, Etihad is in growth mode and hiring continuously. The smaller pilot workforce compared to Emirates means less competition per seat, but the requirements are strict — especially on age, glass cockpit time, and documentation.
Etihad's application process has some unique requirements that catch European applicants off guard. This guide covers the details that matter for your CV and portal submission. For photo and personal info conventions shared across all Gulf carriers, see the Gulf carrier CV requirements guide.
CV Guide Summary
- This guide covers how to format your pilot CV specifically for Etihad applications.
- How to write a pilot CV for Etihad Airways.
- Structure your CV to highlight the specific qualifications and experience Etihad values most.
- Includes formatting templates, common mistakes to avoid, and section-by-section guidance.
- Etihad Airways operates 128 aircraft from Abu Dhabi — B787 Dreamliners, A350-1000s, A321LRs, A320s, B777s, A380s, and B777 Freighters.
Age Limits by Rank
Etihad is the only Big 3 Gulf carrier that publishes explicit age caps — and they are hard limits, not guidelines. If you are near the threshold, check the current listing before investing time in your application.
| Position | Age Limit | Minimum Hours |
|---|---|---|
| First Officer (all fleets) | 50 | 2,500h total, 1,500h multi-crew glass cockpit |
| A320 Captain | 55 | 5,500h total, 1,500h PIC on A320 |
| Widebody Captain | 59 | 7,000h total, 2,000h PIC |
| B777 Freighter FO | 50 | 2,500h with 1,000h Boeing (frozen ATPL accepted) |
Include your date of birth on your CV — it is standard for Gulf applications and lets recruiters instantly confirm you are within the age window. Emirates and Qatar do not publish age limits, so this is specific to Etihad planning.
The Separate Hours Breakdown Form
Etihad requires a standalone "breakdown of hours form" uploaded as a separate attachment — not embedded in your CV. This is a dedicated document listing your hours by aircraft type, role (PIC/SIC), and flight category. Emirates and Qatar do not require this.
What to include in the hours breakdown
- Total time, PIC, SIC, multi-crew, and instrument hours
- Hours per aircraft type with glass cockpit/EFIS designation
- Last 90 days, last 12 months, and total for each type
- Night hours and cross-country time
- Simulator hours listed separately (excluded from totals at some carriers)
Prepare this document before you start the online application — the portal expects it as an upload. A clean table in PDF format works best. Keep your CV summary consistent with this breakdown: if recruiters spot discrepancies between the two documents, it creates the same red flag as a logbook mismatch.
Glass Cockpit Requirement
Etihad specifies 1,500 hours on multi-crew glass cockpit aircraft for FO positions — not just "jet hours" or "multi-crew hours." This is a more specific qualifier than Emirates (jet ≥20T MTOW) or Qatar (multi-crew jet). Glass cockpit means EFIS displays (PFD, ND, EICAS/ECAM) — analogue instruments do not count, even on jet aircraft.
On your CV and hours breakdown form, clearly designate which aircraft types were glass cockpit equipped. If you flew older variants (e.g., B737 Classic with analogue instruments), those hours go in total time but do not qualify toward the 1,500h glass cockpit minimum. Ambiguity here can delay your application or result in rejection after document review.
Eightfold AI Portal & Attachments
Etihad uses Eightfold AI — a machine learning parser that is the most format-tolerant ATS among the Big 3 Gulf carriers. It handles varied layouts and file types better than Emirates' Avature or Ryanair's Taleo. That said, a clean single-column PDF remains the safest choice for your CV.
The portal accepts an unusually wide range of attachment formats: PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT, RTF, PPTX, and PPT (up to 5MB each). Your CV itself can be .docx or .pdf (up to 10MB). Required attachments include: ATPL or licence copy, the hours breakdown form, medical certificate, and last 3 logbook pages.
Prepare all documents before starting
The portal expects multiple attachments. Have your CV, hours breakdown, ATPL scan, medical scan, and logbook pages ready as separate files before you begin. Incomplete submissions may be screened out before human review.
Professional Photo Required
Gulf carriers require a professional headshot on your CV. White background, neutral expression, business attire, no glasses. Passport-style dimensions. This is a hard requirement — CVs without photos are typically rejected at screening.
Submit as PDF
Always submit your CV as a PDF unless the airline specifically requests Word format. ATS systems (Eightfold AI) can strip formatting from .docx files — tables, columns, and custom fonts often render as garbled text. Use a single-column layout with standard section headings.
Etihad-Specific Mistakes
Applying past the age limit — unlike Emirates and Qatar, Etihad publishes hard age caps. If you are 51 applying for FO, you will be rejected automatically.
Missing the hours breakdown form — this is a separate required document, not a section in your CV. Forgetting it makes your application incomplete.
Not specifying glass cockpit time — Etihad's 1,500h glass cockpit requirement is stricter than "multi-crew jet." If your hours table does not distinguish glass cockpit from analogue, reviewers cannot verify eligibility.
Discrepancy between CV and hours breakdown form — these are two separate documents that recruiters cross-reference. Ensure totals match exactly.
Applying for passenger fleet with frozen ATPL — only the B777 Freighter FO position accepts frozen ATPL. All passenger fleet positions require an unrestricted ATPL.