News
China continues to starve for professional pilots
Oct. 30, 2013, China - One of the world’s strongest markets has been growing for many years and still talks about enormous and very ambitious plans to grow its aviation industry. This year, China organized and hosted a number of annual summits and conferences, as well as a new Aviation Science and Technology Conference for both international and domestic aviation markets where specialists discussed industry plans and revealed their prognosis for the years to come.
October 30, 2013 By Carey Fredericks
The upcoming China Aviation Industry Summit, which is going to be held in Shanghai this December, has released the predictions of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China that in the next 20 years, China will have an increase of 4,583 civilian airliners, including 3,682 jumbo jets and 901 regional aircraft. In 2030, China’s share of the global aircraft fleet will increase from 9% to 15%. China has very ambitious plans to reach 10,000 units of business jet deliveries for the global industry in the next 10 years. In 2012, there were a total of 296 million domestic passenger journeys, which is a 9% increase from previous year. According to the International Air Transport Association predictions, almost 200 million more Chinese passengers will have taken to the skies by the end of 2016.
However, China’s reach for aviation industry growth might backfire if country will not improve its pilot recruitment and training activity. To supplement the industry need for pilot and cabin crew demand, Baltic Aviation Academy has recently been approved by the CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China) to provide type rating training for China’s market. Baltic Aviation Academy, along with its partner CLEVY China, is able to provide training and placement needed to successfully enter Chinese aviation market.
Currently, two most popular aircraft manufacturers in the world have a tight grip onto China’s market, although Boeing is taking a bit larger share. The 15th Beijing Aviation Expo held in September provided a lot of positive Asia-Pacific region aviation expansion details. Airbus is planning to supply region with 168 new A320 planes and Boeing is building 240 new 737NGs and 787s. Both of these manufacturer aircraft type training can be provided by Baltic Aviation Academy or its partners all across Europe.
To make China’s industry even more appealing, it is very important to mention the size of the paycheck. Entry level positions for a captain approximates to about $200,000 per year, while other regions pay only half of that amount. Lately China has been involved in foreign seasoned pilot recruitment to supplement its urgent need for growing market. Shenzen Airlines has been known to have and extensive involvement in new professional pilot search all across the world.
“This great need for aviation personnel is a global issue, but it’s hitting the Asia Pacific region particularly hard,” said Bob Bellitto, Global Sales Director for Boeing Flight Services. “Some airlines are already experiencing delays and operational interruptions because they don’t have enough qualified pilots. Surging economies in the region are driving travel demand. Airlines and training providers need new and more engaging ways to fill the pipeline of pilots and technicians for the future.”
So to sum it all up, China has been opening up its market for professionals who are willing to put in the work to learn the Chinese aviation vocabulary. With such promising events as airfleet increase, airspace below 1,000 feet opening and infrastructure for private flight improvement China is now one of the most appealing places to work.
