Asia's aviation market is booming, but the supply of pilots isn't nearly keeping pace with the demand for flights. Airlines are already struggling with shortages in staff. Two Japanese carriers recently cut back on flights because they couldn't find pilots, and the international budget airline JetStar held off on expansion plans in the Asia-Pacific region for the same reason.
Clearly, Asia needs more people who can fly planes. The question is: who should be training them? So far, airlines and governments in the region haven't done much to prepare locals for the job. It's time for aviation companies in the West to lend them a hand.
Last year, Boeing estimated that, between 2014 and 2033, the Asia-Pacific region will need 216,000 new pilots. But according to a 2011 study from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nation's aviation agency, the region is only capable of training 5,000 pilots per year. For anyone who can't earn a spot in a local flight school (many of which are government-run or affiliated), the only option is to apply to one outside the region.
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