Addendum
Qantas to train 500 pilots at its new academy
March 1st 2018
Separately last month, Joyce announced the Qantas Group would establish a training academy to train up to 500 pilots a year at an existing airport in regional Australia. Read More » The Qantas Group Pilot Academy, which will be funded by an initial investment of US$15.6 million, will open its doors to students in 2019.
“Boeing estimates the world will need about 640,000 more pilots in the next 20 years, with 40% of them required in the Asia-Pacific.” said Qantas Group CEO, Joyce. “That level of demand makes the academy important not just for Qantas, but for Australian aviation more broadly so that all parts of the industry have access to qualified pilots in a country that relies so heavily on air transport.
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“Over time, we see potential for the academy to become a competitive advantage for Australia in the region. It could train pilots for other airlines and grow into the largest academy of its kind in the southern hemisphere.”
The academy will initially train around 100 pilots a year for direct entry into the Qantas Group, including Jetstar and regional carrier, QantasLink. “Depending on demand from other parts of the aviation industry, this could grow to 500 pilots a year on a fee-for-service basis,” Joyce said.
Qantas also wants to address the chronic gender imbalance among pilots in an industry where 97% of pilots are male. “If we’re leaving out almost 50% of the population in our search for the next generation of 640,000 pilots, clearly we are not tapping into all the talent available. As an industry, we need to do a much better job of encouraging women to become pilots and take up what is an exciting career path,” Joyce said.
Last year, Qantas announced the Nancy Bird Walton initiative, named after the pioneering female Australian aviator, to improve on its 5% proportion of female pilots. It commits the Qantas Group to a 20% intake of qualified women in the 2018 Future Pilot Program with the goal of females making up 40% of cockpit crew in the next decade.
Joyce said Qantas will partner with one of several existing training providers in establishing the academy and will consult governments at all levels about the location of the training facility. The Qantas Group sources pilots from a mix of new graduates from existing flying schools, pilots from general aviation and the military and from commercial airlines.
This is expected to continue in order to provide the different levels of experience needed by the carrier. An additional program to help mentor and recruit the ‘best and brightest’ aviation students from five Australian universities was announced last year. The group has more than 3,500 pilots and plans to recruit another 350 by year end.
