Qantas Takes Steps to Overcome Pilot Shortage
Photo Credit: Qantas has announced a pilot training scheme on the back of an earlier link-up with Australian universities. #ends Qantas
Skift Take
Qantas' new pilot academy may address the airline’s needs, but won’t solve an imbalance which has already seen regional Australian airlines cancel and reschedule services. Meanwhile, the government has bowed to pressure and will again grant temporary visas to pilots after scrapping them last year.
Airline executives say it’s no coincidence that talk of a pilots shortage in Australia seems to always escalate during pay negotiations, but there seems to be more urgency this time around.
In fact, Australia’s largest airline, Qantas, recently announced plans to establish a pilot academy capable of training up to 500 pilots a year “to help meet the increasing need for skilled aviators in one of the fastest growing global industries.”
The Qantas Group Pilot Academy should open its doors to students in 2019 and is likely to be established near an existing airfield in regional Australia to provide easy access to uncongested airspace.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the Academy would become a critical part of the national carrier’s long-term talent pipeline – and an important resource for Australian aviation.
The Academy will initially train around 100 pilots a year for direct entry into the Qantas Group, including its low-cost Jetstar subsidiary and regional carr
