News
Tokyo Narita airport turns to retiring military personnel to relieve ground handling job shortages
October 24th 2024
Tokyo Narita’s ground handling services company, JBS, has introduced an internship program for retiring Japanese military (Self-Defence Force) personnel, Aviation Wire reports. Read More » The company said the opportunity exists after Japan’s Self-Defense Forces adopted an “early retirement age system” that offers some military staff the option to retiring at 55. Many of these military personnel handled large special vehicles in their units, making it easy for them to transfer their skills to ground handling work, the company said. JBS Ground Handling, which entered the ground handling sector last March, was started by a team of former ground handlers who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. In June, the company began a reskilling program for experienced but now retired ground-handling pilots by supporting their return to work. “Ground handling companies are looking to quickly secure personnel as the sector’s labor shortage is becoming more serious not only at Narita but across the country,” Aviation Wire said.
