Business-to-business delivery company TNT Express is to hire 80 new pilots during 2006, to fly new aircraft entering service over the next 16 months.

Along with 20 new pilots hired in January, this recruitment will mean TNT will have 384 pilots by the end of the year.

They are required to operate the additional two BAe 146s, two Boeing 747-400ERFs and five Boeing 737SFs that the company will add to its fleet by mid-2007.

In addition to the nine new aircraft, the pilots will also fly some of the company’s existing BAe 146s, six 737s and four Airbus A300s.

“Hiring 100 new pilots is essential to the expansion of the network,” says TNT Airways managing director Niky Terzakis.

“With the addition of new routes, the growing traffic on our current air routes and the increase in aircraft numbers, the quality of service to TNT’s global customer base will continue to improve.”

As the fleet expands, TNT says its experienced pilots have good prospects for internal promotion.

TNT carries out pilot training at its own flight training school, which holds a type rating training organisation licence.

Terzakis says: “TNT Airways has formulated a dedicated pilot career development policy, which the company uses as the basis for thorough training of new and existing pilots.”

Source: Flight International