jollygreengiant
6th Mar 2001, 14:59
Found this in the Obserever this week, can't make up my mind if it's good news or not.
£30,000 'lure' in scramble for pilots
A drastic shortage of pilots is forcing airlines to pay record salaries to keep their planes airborne in an expanding industry
Tracy McVeigh
Sunday March 4, 2001
The Observer
A combination of phenomenal growth in low-cost airlines and the lack of in-house training schemes has sent carriers into a panic as they compete to find flyers. Some airlines are exploiting legal loopholes to employ foreign pilots trained outside the EU, causing concern over the safety implications. Others are bumping up pay scales to stop staff being poached and to attract crews.
No-frills carrier easyJet is offering pilots up to £30,000 as a one-off 'golden hello' to join its fleet. The Luton-based operator is also advertising top salaries of almost £70,000. Its Irish competitor, Ryanair, which is to buy 13 aircraft to add to its fleet of 36, has unveiled impressive pay packages of up to £100,000 a year, with another six-figure sum in share options for employees who choose to stay in the job for five years.
The shortage of pilots is a problem set to escalate as Boeing has predicted that there will be 28,000 commercial aircraft in service across the world by 2005, double the number now. If the ratio remains at 40 per cent of flights to long-haul destinations, the demand for flight-deck crew within that timespan could reach 200,000 pilots required globally. There are now 80,000 commercially trained pilots worldwide.
The British Airline Pilots' Association has completed a report on the crisis which will be handed to employment Ministers. A spokesman said: 'The problem is that the airlines are being myopic. No one is thinking long term. Nobody is training; everybody is just poaching.'
Balpa points to 300 pilots who have licences but need an airline to sponsor the 1,500 air hours they need to qualify fully in the commercial market. All pilots need around a month's training before they can switch from one aircraft to another.
One flying instructor said: 'People can come and learn to fly, but to fly for a living you are looking an at an almost impossible financial hurdle.'
Additional reporting by Claire Rigby
£30,000 'lure' in scramble for pilots
A drastic shortage of pilots is forcing airlines to pay record salaries to keep their planes airborne in an expanding industry
Tracy McVeigh
Sunday March 4, 2001
The Observer
A combination of phenomenal growth in low-cost airlines and the lack of in-house training schemes has sent carriers into a panic as they compete to find flyers. Some airlines are exploiting legal loopholes to employ foreign pilots trained outside the EU, causing concern over the safety implications. Others are bumping up pay scales to stop staff being poached and to attract crews.
No-frills carrier easyJet is offering pilots up to £30,000 as a one-off 'golden hello' to join its fleet. The Luton-based operator is also advertising top salaries of almost £70,000. Its Irish competitor, Ryanair, which is to buy 13 aircraft to add to its fleet of 36, has unveiled impressive pay packages of up to £100,000 a year, with another six-figure sum in share options for employees who choose to stay in the job for five years.
The shortage of pilots is a problem set to escalate as Boeing has predicted that there will be 28,000 commercial aircraft in service across the world by 2005, double the number now. If the ratio remains at 40 per cent of flights to long-haul destinations, the demand for flight-deck crew within that timespan could reach 200,000 pilots required globally. There are now 80,000 commercially trained pilots worldwide.
The British Airline Pilots' Association has completed a report on the crisis which will be handed to employment Ministers. A spokesman said: 'The problem is that the airlines are being myopic. No one is thinking long term. Nobody is training; everybody is just poaching.'
Balpa points to 300 pilots who have licences but need an airline to sponsor the 1,500 air hours they need to qualify fully in the commercial market. All pilots need around a month's training before they can switch from one aircraft to another.
One flying instructor said: 'People can come and learn to fly, but to fly for a living you are looking an at an almost impossible financial hurdle.'
Additional reporting by Claire Rigby