Middle East now a robust market for qualified aviation personnel – Zenon

Tuesday 10th December 2024

Global aviation recruitment specialist, Zenon, returns to the Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) Show this week (Booth 795) as the region ramps up after a few slow years. Zenon highlights an influx of start-up companies in the UAE, and especially in Saudi Arabia, requiring a raft of qualified personnel - post holder roles and engineers, the latter for short and long-term contract work. Zenon, which facilitates permanent and contract positions, has seen the number of roles available in the region increase 24% since January this year.

“We have been actively recruiting in the Middle East since 2006, initially in business aviation, then widening out to support commercial airlines and aerospace companies,” said Zenon Owner/CEO Andrew Middleton, who leads the company at MEBAA. “It has become a very employee-driven market, with demand for personnel outweighing supply. We look forward to helping address that balance. We have modified our own platforms and beefed up our digital marketing to react to a widened, cross sector aviation market, which complements our extensive international database.”

Trending sectors in the region include helicopter personnel for offshore projects and HEMS; the emerging Advanced Air Mobility Sector, where the Middle East is a key infrastructure and platform investor and an uptick in demand for aviation training and related maintenance personnel. Providers are ramping up operations and adding more simulators. “We see flight crew transitioning to on-demand aviation, where salaries and perks are typically competitive. Likewise, Middle East airlines are paying even more and improving benefits to keep good pilots and engineers, stopping them from moving to Asia, especially India. which is gearing up for significant pilot demand.”

“MEBAA is always a valuable show and we are looking forward to re-engaging with former customers, meeting clients and establishing new ones,” Andrew added.

Zenon, headquartered in Surrey, UK, has specialised in providing qualified aviation personnel to companies globally, and significantly in the Middle East and Africa, since 2006. It was one of MEBA’s earliest members, exhibiting at the first MEBAA show in 2008, and has consistently kept prolific in the region.

Its first business aviation placement in 2006 was from a client in Jeddah which required a Boeing BBJ captain for Arabasco. Zenon supported NetJets when it was active in the region and today, it works with leading names including Gama Aviation, currently building a new Fixed Base Operations (FBO) terminal at Sharjah Airport, UAE.

Being a PIF (Public Investment Fund) vendor for several Saudi Arabian aviation companies, has allowed Zenon to recruit on their behalf in the Kingdom, a region ripe for career opportunities with new airlines, airports and established carriers bolstering their fleets of aircraft.*

Zenon handles a broad range of aviation jobs – executive and management, pilots, cabin crew, operations staff; safety managers, including post holders, engineers and HR. Some 30% of its business worldwide is now in senior executive/C-Suite recruitment and this is growing in the EMEA region. Its experienced team also offers several value-add solutions for its clients, including comprehensive salary and benchmarking surveys, international payroll and volume recruitment campaigns. One recipient of the latter is Virgin Atlantic, which has relied on Zenon, exclusively, for flight crew, for over five years.

Zenon managed the placement of a new CEO and Sales Director at Abu Dhabi-based Royal Jet and is recruiting more within the group. Rob DiCastri, CEO of Serenity Aviation Holding, is a returning client in the region.

He commented: “Zenon is our go-to firm for the sourcing of leadership and technical roles with all our aviation vertical portfolio companies. Andrew Middleton’s experience in the industry is exceptional, as is Zenon’s database of candidates. The team’s ability to efficiently source, screen and deliver quality leaders always impresses us. I’m excited to work with Zenon on various new opportunities, as we grow.”

Zenon is pleased to roll out a new website and corporate identity coinciding with MEBAA. www.zenon.aero.

*Boeing Commercial Market Outlook (CMO) forecast for the Middle East and African aviation industry will need 296,000 new personnel during the forecast period. Over the next 20 years, all regions are predicted to see an increase in the size of their aircraft fleet. And EMEA will require more than 50,000 pilots.