Brexit/ACMI/Lack of UK recruitment
 

Does anyone know what the deal is with ACMI in the UK and at what point the tables may turn in favour of the many unemployed British pilot's?

At present there are numerous EU ACMI operators filling the gaps for UK airlines which is allowing them to get away with not recruiting crew. These are UK airlines operating on a UK AOC and they now have European ACMI operators with EASA crews flying on their behalf.

Currently ACMI operators have a big presence at most major UK airports. They are operating flights on behalf of several major UK airlines including easyJet, Jet2, TUI and others, all of whom would be forced to employ UK licensed pilots should the EU ACMI market not be there to provide short to medium term crewing solutions.

I'm hoping that this will come to an end at the end of the 2 year grace period and UK licensed pilots may have some opportunities thrown their way soon however I fear that as long as this practice is allowed to continue there will be little to no opportunities for those of us who have been unfortunate enough to fall foul of Brexit and Covid.

Does anyone know if this will be legal next summer or if we can expect some hefty recruitment over the winter? At present the job boards are becoming increasingly depressing given that we are now seeing pre 2019 levels of demand.

Ask that Charlatan Grant Shapps or whatever name he uses this month for tax purposes.........he’ll set you straight!! T

This doesn’t answer your question but …


I believe Jet2, DHL Air U.K. and Ryanair are amongst those recruiting for U.K. bases at this time.

Regarding the Brexit effect, the U.K. government has made it quite clear they value ideology over pragmatism, and it doesn’t look like things are going to change any time soon.

Jet2 - opened recruitment but haven't replied to me or anyone else I know - whilst Vamos, Smartlynx and Air Tanker operate their flights throughout their bases.

Ryanair - FO's only advertised at the moment.

DHL - did take a few guys earlier in the year.

I suspect most airlines will be doing everything they can to not recruit until next year when the picture is clearer re Russia, Covid, fuel prices but most of all the financial crisis that could really screw J2, TUI and others.

Have you actually paid any attention to U.K. aviation over the last 20 years? Summer ACMI contracts are nothing new and have been used by all the big players every summer. What business resources to its peak requirements with very expensive assets only to see them sit idle for half of the year?

The issue raised by the OP is not about the usage of ACMI operators per se. It is the situation brought about by Brexit whereby EU ACMI carriers whom UK pilots cannot work for are operating UK flights that would otherwise be crewed by UK pilots.

We are not allowed to work in our own backyard essentially. Just imagine for a nanosecond if EU train drivers were brought in to operate for UK railway companies whilst unemployed UK train drivers could not work for them. The whole network would grind to a halt until Grant Shapps was dragged in by his underpants to do something about it.

Ok, I concede that is a fair point, but the issue still stands that U.K. airlines are not going to resource fully to peak levels without an opportunity to off load that cost in the quieter months. There are only 2 U.K. players in the ACMI market and both are fully utilised. Maybe they need to increase their capabilities, or we need more U.K. based operators to service the market.

DHL Air uk has recruited a lot of pilots this year and continue to do so.

They've hired people with x000 hrs on boeings or other widebody jets. That doesn't apply to a large chunk of UK pilots and they have practically no other options. .

Ryanair, Ezy, TCX, J2 are among the previous employers of pilots I’m involved with training at the moment. No LEPs certainly but by no means is everyone as you describe.

They've all got jet hours and I'm willing to bet the majority also have more than 1000 or 1500hrs. The point remains that there are few to no opportunities for pilots with turboprop hours, those with low hours or those fresh from flight school.

From what I can see, almost everyone I know who didn't have a job last year has now got one. Mostly they even have jobs that they want. The ramp up in recruitment of experienced pilots really got going mid winter, and from what I hear, getting peeps properly checked and in their seats is taking a long time. I would guess, as is always the way, those with the least experience find it hardest at the back of the queue.

No argument from me on that. We did our big LEP hiring a few years ago, now picking up a lot of redundees from a variety of airlines, some UK, some not.

Well, that is exactly what was negotiated by your government in the TCA with the EU: ACMI from the EU to the UK is still possible, from the UK to the EU only in exceptional cases and if the company leasing in can prove that no EU ACMI capacity is available.

Yes. It is not a reciprocal agreement, but apparently Lord Snowflake and Ms Mordaunt wanted it that way. I suggest to vote responsibly the next time around.

Are Jet2 not considering applications from those who have applied for UK licenses? I have applied for the UK CAA FCL and medical a number of months ago, still waiting for them to be issued. I did include this information in the application.

They opened up to NTR earlier in the year, not a sniff since unless you're rated on 777.

"continues to do so" - can you show me the advert please?! I can't see it anywhere.

Thanks for your kind words.

Re ACMI - fair enough and I do understand from a business perspective. However the point remains re our soft government who are allowing UK licensed pilots to be disadvantaged by allowing EU ACMI operators access to the UK market.

Re J2 recruitment - UK licensed 73 Cpt, 6000+ hrs. Not heard a thing.

We’ve been receiving CVs for RHS 767 TR and NTR throughout this year and continue to recruit, select and train for that. I guess when CVs continue to drop on the mat you don’t need to advertise.

Maybe Im missing something.... but from keeping an eye on the job boards daily the fact remains there are little to no jobs advertised for UK licensed pilots, despite demand coming back towards 2019 levels.

Of the ones that have been advertised recently;

OneAir - 74 Cargo job - 65K a year, 3 yr bond, needed to be near London. No non rated Dec positions and even if there were they were offering 85k for a Cpt.

TUI FO's- wanted to take 7k out of the pay for a 6 month contract!!

Titan - wanted EASA Licence holders.

Few private jet jobs - contacts based.

Like I said above, maybe Im missing something and would be really grateful if you can point me in the direction of where these jobs are advertised, because Im not seeing much at all! Thanks