Although I am not seeking employment at Jetstar, Qanatas or Virgin and haven't sent this yet, will do so.
Dear......
I refer to recent statements that major and regional airlines in Australia are so short of pilots that they need to sponsor foreign-born pilots under the 457 visa arrangement.
While there is no denying that there is a general shortage of pilots world-wide, the fact remains that many Australian pilots have applied to airlines here and had their applications ignored or rejected.
What are the minimum qualifications to be an airline pilot? To be a First Officer, a Commercial Pilot Licence and Multi-Engine Instrument Rating. That's it - and is all that airlines such as Singapore, Malaysian, British Airways etc require. To be a Captain requires an Airline Transport Licence (ATPL). That is the ICAO minimum, and Australia is an ICAO contracting State. However, airlines quite reasonably expect some measure of experience above the licence minimums before letting pilots loose in command. How much is a reasonable measure of experience? Consider the RAAF and any other major air force with large transport aircraft. Typically, after a three or four year period of training, including time as First Officer, a military pilot would be in command, flying missions to difficult places anywhere in the world. Would it then be too much to trust a pilot who had been a First Officer for three years with command of a jet flying the relatively benign skies of Australia? It depends on the quality of the training, and for that the airlines must be accountable.
We have seen the result of dodgy doctors being brought in to Australia to solve a perceived shortage. I urge you to demand that the airlines here screen all qualified Australian applicants who apply before granting 457 visas. By qualified, I mean with the appropriate licence, not some trumped-up excess requirements. For command vacancies, in the first instance they should be required to offer promotion internally to any pilot who has had a satisfactory period of, say two years, as First Officer within the organisation and who has an ATPL. Thereafter, a direct entry command to any Australian applicant with relevant experience. Then, and only then, to only grant visas to foreign pilots who can meet the same screening standards as those imposed on the Australian applicants.