Aviation training academies burgeon in Asia-Pacific

April 1st 2023

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It is, undoubtedly, a sign of the times. Read More » Airlines and private aviation companies are rapidly expanding training facilities across the region to meet present and future demand for experienced aviation professionals. One example came out of the blue in late February. In an unexpected announcement, Qantas Group CEO, Alan Joyce, said the airline company will build an engineering academy targeted to graduate 300 young aviation specialists each year. Following on from the opening of a pilot academy in Toowoomba, Queensland pre-pandemic, the facility’s first student intake will be in 2025. A decision on the location of the academy will be made by year-end, Joyce said.

The Australian airline company’s engineering investment is not the only Asia-Pacific project being developed on the training front. After he ordered 470 jets from Airbus and Boeing in February, Air India CEO, Campbell Wilson, revealed the airline group will invest in “a very significant training academy” to increase the number of pilots, cabin crew, engineers and other aviation professionals from within India. The objectives of Campbell and Joyce are the same: build a desperately needed pipeline of talent to meet future demand in the industry.

During the pandemic the industry lost a serious amount of experience - some estimates suggest up to 500,000 staff worldwide - across all operations, from ground handling to back office staff.

Joyce said “it is a whole ecosystem through which pilots and engineers in particular progress. The long-term skills base required relies on constant renewal”.

“We order aircraft up to 10 years in advance, so we must think similarly long-term about the people and skills we need to operate them,” he said. “Over that period of time, we will create an estimated 8,500 aviation jobs in Australia and most of those jobs require years of training. We look forward to working with the industry, training organizations, unions and governments to finalize details for the engineering academy.”

Minimum impact on training demand during COVID

While trained staff is required across all sectors of the industry, pilot training clearly remains a priority. Even during the pandemic, there was little slowdown in the expansion of training facilities. In a March 2021 report released at the height of the COVID crisis, Asian Sky Group (ASG) reported the number of flight training schools in the Asia-Pacific grew 4% from 2018 to 2020. There were 356 aviation training schools operating 2,931 fixed-wing aircraft across the region in December 2020, ASG said. Mainland China recorded the largest increase in flight schools, adding 17 in two years. However Australia, which has the largest flight training market in the region, logged a net decrease of three schools between 2018 and 2020.

“COVID-19 had a dramatic effect on the aviation industry, but training schools in the Asia-Pacific showed resilience, especially compared with 2018,” ASG said in its Training Report. “For the whole region, there were 24 more training schools, 205 more fixed-wing and 48 more helicopter training aircraft in 2020 than in 2018.”

In China alone, ASG said, 65% of the general aviation (GA) fleet serves flight training roles and 52% of the 3,066 GA aircraft in China are piston-engine airplanes typically used for training. Civil Aviation Flight University of China ranked as the top turboprop and piston fixed-wing operator on the Mainland with an estimated 280 aircraft.

Training in aviation skills is definitely a growing business. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has a robust training portfolio covering all aspects of the industry. It runs its own training centres and provides accreditation to several training facilities worldwide.

“Yes, we have seen a pick-up in this area since we have come out of COVID and we continue to support and provide accreditation to many training centres across the region,” IATA’s Asia-Pacific regional director airports & external relations, Vinoop Goel, told Orient Aviation.

Simulator demand reaches new levels

Simulator business is booming. One major training provider is Montreal-headquartered CAE. Its latest Pilot Demand Outlook said “the Asia-Pacific will see the strongest growth in pilot demand as the region’s fleet of in-service aircraft will significantly increase. Strong economic growth, an expanding middle class, new low-cost carriers, new routes and increasing competition make the Asia-Pacific the fastest growing region for air travel”.

The Canadian company, which employs 350 software, hardware, visual systems engineers, program managers and flight instructors in the region, took advantage of the market disruption as the pandemic took hold to invest US$1.5 billion in growth opportunities.

CAE has 11 joint ventures (JV) with airlines worldwide. Six of them are in the Asia-Pacific. In 2018, Singapore Airlines and CAE formed a JV, Singapore CAE Flight Training, to provide training for the airline’s pilots and third party Boeing operators in the region. Its joint venture with Japan Airlines trains third party customers and operates a multi-pilot license (MPL) program for new pilots.

At Clark International Airport in the Philippines, CAE and Cebu Pacific formed a JV in 2012 to provide training for Asia-Pacific airlines and Cebu Pacific. CAE's JV with InterGlobe Enterprises, CAE New Delhi, is the largest training facility in India, graduating more than 5,000 students a year. Other countries in the region where CAE simulators are installed at training academies are in Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia, South Korea, China and Thailand.

Aircraft manufacturers are major players in the training game. Boeing has simulator centres in Singapore and Shanghai. The Airbus Asia Training Centre (AATC) in Singapore is a joint venture between Airbus (55%) and Singapore Airlines (45%). It also has a world class pilot and maintenance training centre in New Delhi and another in Beijing.

Airbus and China developing ab initio flight training standard

As recently as February this year Airbus signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Civil Aviation Flight University of China (CAFUC) to jointly develop the first ab initio flight training standard in China. This program is a response to the Civil Aviation Administration of China’s (CAAC) new flight training regulations.

“Expanding its flight training footprint in China not only reflects the Airbus commitment to the efficient and safe operation of all its aircraft, but enables Airbus to accompany its airline customers in anticipating and preparing for the future,” Airbus China CEO, George Xu, said.

Another indicator of the training industry’s recognition of Asia’s potential is its investment in India. Dubai-headquartered Airways Aviation and Hyderabad-based Asia Pacific Flight Training Academy (APFT) have signed a strategic alliance partnership that will provide prospective India students and airline cadets access to a new and innovative Pilot Pathway Program from May.

With aviation in India on an exponential growth trajectory and experiencing demand for quality pilots, Airways Aviation founder and chairman, Romy Hawatt, said his organization is best equipped to develop India’s strategic plans. Airways Aviation is the largest global private aviation academy with one of the world’s biggest privately owned training fleets. It has been actively seeking international partners with best global standards and practices. “We believe we will be able to enhance the standards of training, facilities and our fleet thereby helping India attain her coveted goal of becoming a world class aviation training hub, as envisioned by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India,” said Hemanth D.P., chief executive of APFT.