Jetstar to recruit 150 new pilots

Jetstar has launched a new pilot recruitment drive. (Seth Jaworski)

Jetstar has begun a campaign to recruit 150 new pilots for its Airbus A320 and A330 fleets across its Australian, New Zealand and Asian operations, as the Qantas subsidiary continues its aggressive expansion.

“We have got to the point where we’re the fastest-growing and most successful airline ever, having reached almost 20 million passengers in our seventh year of operation,” Jetstar Group CEO Bruce Buchanan told The Australian.

“And that growth rate is continuing. We are saying we need a big recruiting drive in terms of pilots to continue to support the success and growth.”

The new positions are also open to Qantas pilots, who can transfer across to Jetstar under the terms of a MoU agreed with AIPA, the Qantas pilots union.

The union representing Jetstar’s pilots, the AFAP, is currently negotiating with the airline over whether the new recruits will be employed under the conditions of the Jetstar pilot EBA. Earlier this year the AFAP launched legal action against the airline over its plans to hire new pilots on a permanent part time basis