Azernews.Az

The well-known French aerospace manufacturer Dassault Aviation is set to deliver 239 Rafale fighter jets this year. In response to surging international demand, the company is expanding its mass recruitment efforts and internal training programs to address a growing workforce shortage, Azernews reports citing Azertac.

Dassault Aviation has recently opened a new production facility in the city of Cergy-Pontoise, covering 110,760 square meters. This is the company’s largest production site built since the 1970s. The new plant will be responsible for assembling the front section of the Rafale jet — a component particularly valued by international clients.

To meet tight delivery schedules, especially for recent contracts signed with India, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates, Dassault has already hired 80 new employees in 2025 alone. The company’s inclusive hiring practices were highlighted by one new recruit — a woman who previously worked in a beauty salon and is now employed as a cable assembler, demonstrating Dassault’s openness to non-traditional candidate profiles.

Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation, stressed the challenges of recruiting in the industrial sector:

"Working in industry is still not seen as attractive enough. That’s why we are focusing on recruiting more women. There aren’t enough. We want to show them that the industrial world can be a place for them too."

Currently producing three Rafale jets per month, Dassault aims to increase this number to five per month by 2030. To achieve this, the company’s top priority in the coming years will be to simultaneously scale up both human resources and manufacturing capacity.