Originally Posted by
CuriousTimes
They are very likely to consider it, but I am not sure that consideration will lead to fully funded pilot cadet programmes soon. I should clarify that this is my own opinion rather than insider information. However, I have been following the aviation sector in Syria and the wider Middle East for more than two decades now, so I am not completely clueless.
The short quick answer is that this is unlikely to happen while Syrian Airlines do their quick expansion in the short term, as they have already signed contracts for 8 used aircraft (manufactured 2017-2019) according to the latest announcement a few days ago. Full pilot training might be a more serious consideration when they move to ordering aircraft from manufacturers in the medium term, as they have announced they are in early talks but with nothing concrete yet. Expected delivery of such aircraft would be 2030 to 2035, according to their announcement. These timeline are more realistic for the assessment of accompanying pilot training if needed with the phased expansion.
The more detailed answer is that it is a complicated matter:
The main issue is that airlines will only start pilot cadet programmes when they have exhausted every other (cheaper) route for pilot hiring. This is because it is costly and risky to train pilots, particularly for smaller airlines like the ones based in Syria. To begin with, Syrian Airlines was over staffed for years, with many pilots not getting many flying hours due to aircraft going out of service while the airline was sanctioned. In addition, there are many Syrian trainee pilots who finished their basic training and hold an ATPL or CPL, with around 250-300 total hours without a type rating. These are the hopefuls who managed to fund their own training but then faced the reality of trying to get hired as a civil pilot in a foreign country with very little experience. Not an easy task. They will be first in line. As it happens, Syrian Airlines announced that they were hiring pilots with ATPLs and CPLs but no further experience a few months back. The wording of the announcement by the caretaker CEO at the time gave the impression that they were being bombarded with queries about pilot hiring from Syrians with some level of training wanting to join the airline.
Then there are those who used to fly for Syrian Airlines in the past and left as conditions deteriorated over the last decade. Some of this group remain current and in active positions in the gulf or elsewhere, for example, Jazeera Airways in Kuwait had Syrian flightdeck crew for their inaugural flight to Damascus. These guys are probably very difficult to head hunt at present for Syrian companies. This might change if the outlook for Syrian aviation improves dramatically over the coming few months/years and salaries/benefits catch up a bit with the sector elsewhere. Incidentally, the new head of the Syrian Aviation Holding Company, which is the new parent company of Syrian Airlines, was working for one of the big Gulf carriers. So, at a managerial and top positions, there is some traction for expat aviation professionals. This will likely trickle down the ranks as things progress and the revival becomes increasingly serious rather than a fairytale.
Then there is the possibility of hiring foreign pilots. My understanding is that Fly Cham already does, although I am not entirely sure. When the FlyNas linked airline takes to the skies, they might bring their own already trained pilots and relocate them to Syria. I suspect they will hire at least some Syrian pilots, if they are already qualified, however training them is highly unlikely in my view. Particularly, since FlyNas is not a government owned company so their assessment will be purely commercial.
Having said all that, you will have to wait and see how things develop over the next few months and years. Syria needs aviation capacity fast, if they run out of trained and willing pilots to fill these positions and start having pilot shortage as the main constraint on expansion and growth, rather than the current aircraft shortage, then something might come up in the future. Don’t hold your breath though, there is a lot of uncertainty about that sort of decision until it is formally announced. Also, the queue on such a programme taking cadets from 0 to hero in Syria is likely to be massive with applicants from those in Syria and the Syrian diaspora, so factor that in as well.
If being a pilot is a passion you definitely want to pursue then I would recommend that you take matters into your own hands and start planning to fund your own training one way or another. There are opportunities and there are Syrians doing that in different regions of the world. The guys and girls who took that initiative will always be ahead of those waiting for a free ride. Funding your own training also means you will have better control over the timeline and better flexibility in choosing your future job.
In all cases, the best way to increase your chances is to invest in yourself, improve your core skills and follow the news of the aviation sector in the Middle East and worldwide. Build up background and technical knowledge as well as knowledge about the airline business and how airlines operate etc. There is an immense amount of free information out there these days.
Having said all that the government might receive a pilot training grant/help from a friendly country and decide to hold such a programme tomorrow, regardless of all the business side, so you never really know.
I hope you find this useful, and apologies if it comes across in a negative sense. It is better to be prepared for the least favourable circumstances, then hopefully you’ll be ready for whatever happens.
Good luck and have a safe journey to the sky.