Inexperienced cadets in Jetstar pilots' seats
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
Jetstar Airbus A321-200
Jetstar's new cadetship training program has been condemned by pilots, the airline accused of putting profits before safety.
At a meeting last week, almost 400 pilots met to discuss Jetstar's planned employment changes, and said that under Jetstar's pilot training program cadets with "substantially less" experience will be in charge of powerful aircraft, the ABC reported.
Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) President Barry Jackson told the news site airlines are putting savings ahead of passenger safety.
"Young pilots have to pay a substantial amount of money to enter the industry and then work on a reduced salary for the first few years so therefore it is a saving for the airline," he said.
"Airline fares have dropped a lot and therefore the airline companies have to find ways of saving money."
According to AIPA, under traditional standards, pilots require a minimum flying experience of 1,000 to 1,500 hours before they are permitted into the pilot's seat.
However, Jetstar's cadetship program would put cadets with just 200 hours of flying experience in charge of commercial planes, a trend that is likely to take off across the globe, Mr Jackson said.
"We're introducing a lower level of experienced pilot in an aircraft," he told the ABC.
"Cadets have a lot less hours...and with the expansion that is likely to go on around the Asia-Pacific region, we will see a lot less experienced pilots entering flight decks.
"To put a fairly inexperienced pilot in the right-hand seat of a jet or a high-speed turbine puts a lot of pressure on the pilot in the left-hand seat.
"We want to ensure proper training is carried out throughout all the industry so that our standards are kept up to the very high levels we've come to expect in Australia."
A Jetstar spokesman rejected APIA's safety concerns, telling the ABC, that the airline "conducts its business to the highest safety standards".
"This is about providing the opportunity for highly skilled individuals to take a streamlined approach to entry into a major domestic and international airline with a world-class quality provider," he said.
"Further, they will participate in a funding arrangement where candidates avoid the significant up-front fees should this be done by them individually."
The Jetstar Group website offers prospective pilots, "a new and exciting career pathway to become a First Officer flying on modern Airbus A3320...aircraft" under a program which sees would-be pilots pay an upfront fee to Jetstar while the remainder of their training fees is taken from their future pay packets.