Aviation India: Careers

New Delhi: From June 1, India's commercial aircraft will not have foreign co-pilots on board. This will open fresh opportunities for thousands of aspiring pilots in the airline industry, said a government official.
The development comes in the wake of the government's decision that Indian airlines should have only Indian co-pilots from June 1. The carriers are also required to discontinue the services of senior foreign pilots, designated as commanders, by July 2010, the official said.
According to official sources, leading private airline Jet Airways received over 900 applications for the 10 posts it had advertised for hiring co-pilots.
According to Kanu Gohain, chief of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, a total of 1,490 foreign pilots were given licences last year to work for the Indian civil aviation sector.
"Despite having a valid commercial pilot licence (CPL), many of the aspiring young Indian pilots have not been able to get through any Indian air carriers," an airline official told IANS.
31/05/08 Economic Times

Panaji:Aviation training centre, Achievers Aviation Academy has opened up its base in Goa with the aim to provide skilled training in the field of aviation, hospitality and corporate training.
"As a pioneer attempt in the state of Goa, the academy has collaborated with the Australian national airlines college for facilitating pilot training in Australia", Mr Rajat Kumar, centre manager, Achievers Aviation Academy, told reporters.
The academy has opened its branch in Margao. Mr Craig Mc Kenzie from the Australian national airlines college has visited the academy recently to broaden horizons of the ambitious lot desirous of pursuing the commercial pilot training course.
Mr Kumar said that the academy has demonstrated its potential to attain hallmark dimensions in the fields of aviation, hospitality and corporate training through its state of the art, contemporary facilities at Goa, Rajasthan and New Delhi.
The academy officials stated that a commercial pilot training programme launched would enable students to pursue their ground training in Goa and then head on to Australia to fulfill the flying requirements.
30/05/08 Navhind Times

Monreal: CAE has been awarded contracts to design and manufacture five full-flight simulators (FFSs) valued at more than C$56 million at list prices. The contracts are with Aeroflot Russian Airlines, Ansett Aviation Training, Skymark Airlines of Japan, and CAE's new training centre in Bangalore, India, which is a joint venture owned 50 percent by CAE.
CAE signed a contract with the joint venture company that will own and operate the new CAE Bangalore training centre in India. CAE will provide two CAE 7000 Series full-flight simulators: one A320 FFS and one Boeing 737NG FFS. In addition, CAE will provide a CAE Simfinity(TM) Airbus Pilot Transition (APT) trainer. The simulators are scheduled to be delivered this summer.
CAE is a world leader in providing simulation and modelling technologies and integrated training solutions for the civil aviation industry and defence forces around the globe. With annual revenues exceeding C$1 billion, CAE employs more than 6,000 people at more than 75 sites and training locations in 20 countries.
30/05/08 Comtex/FOXBusiness

Chandigarh: The Haryana government has decided to invite applications for setting up private civil aviation schools on four airstrips of the state in Pinjore, Karnal, Bhiwani and Narnaul, said Power Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala today.
Addressing a press conference here, Surjewala, who also heads the committee appointed by the Chief Minister to deliberate on all issues relating to development of airstrips in Haryana through private parties and to make recommendations to the government, said an expression of interest will be issued soon in this regard to invite applications.
He said the four airstrips will be given to the applicant for an initial period of 10 years, extendible for another five years by mutual consent of the state. The Haryana government has decided to fix an annual licence fee of Rs 10 lakh.
Surjewala said the Haryana government expected that 28 to 30 aircraft of single engine and multi-engines will be available for flying on the four airstrips. These would be in addition to the four aircraft of the Haryana Institute of Civil Aviation (HICA) available at Hisar airstrip, which is yet to be offered.
As many as 20 per cent of the total seats offered by the private operators will be reserved for those holding Haryana domiciles. Reservation policy of the state government with regard to SC and BC quota will be implemented in the 20 per cent reserved seats for Haryana domiciles.
Surjewala said an applicant having experience of running a civil aviation academy in India would be preferred along with those having collaboration with an international aviation school or those having aircraft or with purchase order of aircraft.
29/05/08 Chandigarh Newsline

Bhubaneswar: The boom in aviation sector calls for trained cabin crew and projections are that India aviation industry alone will need at least 8000 cabin crew per year observed Mr Shaibal Ghosh, head of international operations and east region, Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training.
Addressing a Press conference here today, he highlighted the prospects as well as the successful placement of students in international airlines.
“Students from various centers of eastern region of the institute have been creating footprints across the aviation and hospitality industries,” he said while informing that recently 10 students had joined Air Arabia Airlines through campus placement.
Students of the institute are wooed by all major airlines, hotel chains, travel agencies he claimed.
The institute has tied up with Jet Airways to familiarize its students with off and on flight procedures. Jet will dedicate exclusive one hour long flight for the Frankfinn students twice a week for a year, he said.
Students in batches of 150 each will attend sessions by professionals from Jet Airways about on-ground , in-flight and post landing operations.
28/05/08 The Statesman

Jamshedpur: The Jamshedpur Cooperative Flying Club (JCFCL), set up by Tata group chairman Ratan Tata in 1965, is about to get a new lease of life. For starters, an initial Rs 5-crore grant from the Jharkhand government will see the club getting a state of-the-art flight training academy — complete with hostels, classrooms, staff quarters and an institute building. An airhostess training academy is also on cards.
The flying club had been defunct over the past five years due to paucity of funds.
Cashing in on the aviation boom, the JCFCL proposes to repair the Swati and Pushpak aircraft and start running them. Subsequently, the club intends to start full-fledged training after taking in three Cessna aircraft on lease. Using these, they intend to help students get their student, private & commercial pilot licences over a period of 18 months.
The grant has been earmarked for the present fiscal (2008-09), and the proposal has already been submitted to the government. The flying club also intends to expand into Dumka and Ranchi.
“..We have earmarked Rs 5 crore and it may well go up to Rs 20 crore in the next fiscal, depending on the needs of the club,” said Dulal Bhuiyan, Jharkhand’s minister for land reforms and president of JCFCL.
The Jharkhand government had recently procured three Zlin aircrafts and a power glider, which is also on the club’s radar. “We can also approach the state government for providing these aircraft for training. The Rs 5-crore investment can reap in as much as Rs 25 crore, once the training starts,” added the club secretary Capt Ajay Srivastava, who is also the chief pilot, Jharkhand government.
28/05/08 Tuhin Datta/Economic Times

New Delhi: With growing instances of Indian students not getting jobs even after spending lakhs on commercial pilot licences (CPL), the government has turned 'swadeshi' to save their interests. The aviation ministry has laid down that an Indian carrier can use a foreign pilot "up to a time limit of four years or July 31, 2010, whichever is earlier."
What's more, giving an extension to a foreign pilot for continued employment with an Indian carrier beyond this period has also been made tougher as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will have to refer any such case to the ministry.
"While sending proposals for continued utilization of foreign pilots, airlines should justify their demand for new aircraft can't be fulfilled from the present Indian market despite their efforts in recruiting and training of Indian pilots," DGCA's deputy DG A K Sharan has conveyed to all airlines.
The government started cracking on airlines' policy of hiring expat pilots even as Indian CPL holders find it hard to get a break in the loss-ridden airline industry.
Moreover, Indian pilots employed with airlines also started complaining their promotion avenues were suffering as airlines found it cheaper to hire foreign senior pilots due to a weak Rupee.
Of the 5,500-odd pilots operating with Indian carriers, nearly 1,000 are expats.
28/05/08 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Sydney: Qantas has reportedly secured government approval to employ 75 pilots from off-shore to fly its low-cost Jetstar subsidiary's aircraft.
If it proceeds, it will be the largest-scale hiring of off-shore pilots since the airline pilots strike in Australia 20 years ago.
The flight crew will be allowed to migrate to Australia under the 457 work visa program.
The Australian Financial Review reports the move will likely be opposed by unions representing airline workers, but Jetstar says it is necessary to address a chronic pilot shortage in Australia.
"We are in a global industry and we should be able to source a global talent pool," Jetstar CEO Alan Joyce told the newspaper.
Jetstar has also recently hired 20 foreign cabin crew on 457 visas and has government approval to hire up to 60 more.
In a statement released late today (Monday) Qantas confirmed Jetstar was supplementing its "extensive domestic recruitment for pilots" by using 457 visas to recruit some pilots from overseas.
CEO Geoff Dixon, said Jetstar had recruited 200 pilots in Australia since January 2007 and, on average, recruited 15 pilots per month.
“In addition, Qantas separately has recruited 170 new pilots this financial year and more than 300 existing Qantas pilots have received upgrade training in the same period,” he said.
Both Qantas and Jetstar were separate airlines with their own individual pilot and training requirements, Dixon said.
26/05/08 Aviation Record, Australia

Bangalore: Flight testing is a unique profession that requires a mix of operational experience and a good foundation in advanced science and engineering, Air Marshal P V Naik Vice Chief Air Staff said.
Air Force Test Pilots School (AFTPS), which started to keep pace with India's growing aviation and aero space needs and requirements 35 years back, has produced 260 qualified test crew till date who are involved in many indigenous aircraft and system development programmes,he said in his address to test crew on graduation of the 30th flight test course here on Saturday.
Apart from the Indian Air Force, the school caters to the requirements of the Army, Navy, DRDO and HAL.
The test pilots are playing a crucial role in aviation related R & D projects that have been undertaken by various defence R & D organisations as well as ISRO.
AFTPS is also forging ahead with Industry-Academia partnership to further enhance the quality of training. Towards this, Master of Technology course has been instituted with the Visveswaraya Technological University.
The school is also working with Bangalore University to institute Master of Sciences in Applied Flight Dynamics for pilots.
24/05/08 PTI/The Hindu

Colombo: SriLankan Airlines recently completed comprehensive training programmes for 35 aircraft Technicians and seven Aircraft Engineers, in its continuing efforts to provide opportunities for young men and women to embark upon rewarding careers as professionals in the international aviation industry.
Two Sri Lankan women students and seven foreign students ? five from the Maldives, and one each from Oman and India - were among those who successfully completed the 2-year Basic Course in Aircraft Maintenance. One young woman, a Sri Lankan, was among those in the Aircraft Engineering programme, which is also a 2-year programme.
SriLankan Technical Training is one of the few companies in Asia to hold the globally recognized EASA 147 certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), to provide training in Aircraft Maintenance to foreign and local students.
22/05/08 ColomboPage, Sri Lanka

Jamshedpur: In its maiden venture to hand over joysticks to youths from remote areas, the Jharkhand state government has formed a co-operative society for commercial pilot training.
To realise its goal, the government has even decided to bear the costs — about Rs 15 lakh per trainee — for 30 out of the 150 students to be admitted in the two centres in Jamshedpur and Dumka.
The government has already allotted Rs 5 crore in this year’s budget to establish Jamshedpur Co-operative Flying School, which will come up on a five-acre plot at Sonari airport. The centre in Dumka is under construction.
Officials at Jamshedpur Co-operative Flying School said two aircraft from the US would be acquired for training. Having already placed orders for the consignment, they are waiting for final release of funds to get the aircraft so as to start the institute in August.
“We are buying two Cessna 172 from the US. We have two defunct Pushpak aircraft, which will be renovated soon to offer training to a large number of aspirants simultaneously,” said Prashant Singh, one of the board directors of the flying school.
All the aircraft would shuttle between Jamshedpur and Dumka — a 40-minute one-way journey — to impart training to wannabes at both the places.
Each of the students would need 200 hours of flying experience to be eligible for getting a commercial pilot licence. With one flying hour costing about Rs 6,000-7,000 — depending on the price of aviation turbine fuel — a student would have to shell out not less than Rs 12 lakh to get licence for commercial flying.
Girls aspiring to become airhostess can also join the flying school but the government would not fund them.
Both the flying schools would have a hostel and staff quarters, with the airhostess training being confined to the steel city initially.
The response to the two flying schools would help the co-operative society to sanction funds for setting up more such institutes across the state.
20/05/08 Saswati Mukherjee/The Telegraph

Montreal: Mechtronix Systems Inc. (MSI), the fastest growing and third leading provider of flight training equipment in the world, today announced that it had signed an agreement to work with HBE Aviosec PVT Ltd to better develop and service the rapidly expanding Indian
market.
The partnership represents a significant investment of resources by the companies to establish a core staff in the region to support the sales of Mechtronix' flight simulation technology. HBE Aviosec's industry expertise and strong local ties to the Indian aviation community will also be leveraged heavily to help Mechtronix to better market a wide range of flight simulation
technology ranging from Cessna's to A320s and 737s in the region.
"We are very pleased to establish this strategic relationship with Mechtronix to help it better provide the Indian aviation community with its exceptional flight training technology", said HBE Aviosec PVT Ltd Nandy Bhatia, Chairman & Managing Director. "..The integration of both firm's resources in India will further enhance Mechtronix' existing reputation for service, quality, reliability and economical flight training solutions.
Together, we will provide a solution that will be very successful in a market that insists on nothing less. We look forward to working with all global companies like Mechtronix that believe in technical excellence and want to bring it and establish it here."
19/05/08 Canada NewsWire, Canada

New Delhi: Aviation and hospitality sectors are set to emerge as top job creators over the next two years, as Indians increasingly take to air travel and the capital city braces to host the 2010 Commonwealth games.
Experts say the recent surge in investment in the aviation and hospitality business could eventually create as many, or more, jobs than did the information technology sector on the back on a boom in outsourcing. "In the next two years, aviation and hospitality are expected to assume the role of the top job creating industries, leaving the IT sector behind," said Rajesh AR, Vice President of India’s leading temporary staffing company TeamLease Services.
According to industry estimates, more than five lakh new jobs may be created over the next years as airlines expand fleet and the country adds new airports, hotels and restaurants to cater to a spurt in tourism.
"According to our study, more than 4.3 lakh jobs are planned in 2008," said E Balaji, CEO, Ma Foi Management Consultants Limited.
The aviation sector, growing at about 25 per cent per annum, is also expected to create jobs on the fly. Over the next two years, airlines are expected to add at least 130 new planes to the existing fleet of 270. This, in turn, would call for more pilots, cabin crew, ground staff and all such service providers associated with the industry.
Teamlease’s Rajesh predicts the airline industry will add at least 2.5 lakh people in the next two years.
19/05/08 HT Media/MSN.com

DGCA has announced the names of eligible candidates, dates & venues for the following examinations:

ATPLG/ATPCG Candidates for Second Oral
The examinations are to be conducted at Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi on 19, 21 & 23 resp. of this month. The list of candidates are here.

ATPLG/ATPLCG ( Oral Examination) Apr 2008 Session
The schedule for oral examination of successful candidates who have appeared in written examination of Air Navigation & Radio Aids & Instruments Subjects of Airline Transport Pilots General License (ATPLG / ATPLCG) Examination, April, 2008 Session is here.
The exams are on 19, 21 & 22 at Chennai, Mumbai & Delhi respectively.

PILOT General Examination Apr 2008-Regular Session
Eligible Candidates for ATPL oral examination.

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Ranchi: About 1,200 tribal boys and girls from across Jharkhand are having dreams of flying this year.
The youngsters have sought the state government’s assistance to become commercial pilots and airhostesses. This would be the second batch under the welfare department programme, which would be fully funding the education of the candidates.
Though it is yet to hold a screening for selection of candidates, U.K. Sangma, the principal secretary of the welfare department, said the candidates for pilot and airhostess courses would be trained at Institute of Aviation and Aviation Safety, Flight School, Mumbai.
“Tentatively, we would be selecting about 20 boys from among the applicants to given them training to become commercial pilots. From among the girls, about 60 would be chosen for the airhostesses’ course,” said Sangma.
The department was to hold a selection test in the first week of May but the exam was deferred as the post of the tribal welfare commissioner (TWC) fell vacant.
Ravindra Agarwal was the TWC until he was asked to go to Jamshedpur and take charge as the East Singhbhum deputy commissioner.
The department had trained 22 boys as commercial pilots and 28 girls as airhostess earlier. In return for the state government’s financial help during the training, the candidates would have to adopt two boys from their respective village and educate them up to the bachelor’s level.
The welfare department also approached leading airlines to find out the industry’s requirement for airhostess. “We held talks with JetLite, Air India, MDLR and Deccan on what should be the quality of girls for airhostess training,” said an official.
16/05/08 Santhosh K Kiro/The Telegraph

Kolkata: With more airbases coming up in the Eastern Air Command region, the Indian Air Force would lay emphasis on recruiting short-service commission officers to attract talented youths.
“Short-service commission for five years for youths will be more attractive than joining private companies,” Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief in Eastern Air Command Air Marshal S K Bhan told media persons on the eve of a placement fair for retired air-warriors in Barrackpore.
He said the shortage of officers was a matter of concern.
Speaking about the placement fair he said retired personnel with experience of 22 years, who were no longer able to fly fighter aircraft, could join private airlines.
Airline companies like Pawan Hans and Air India had signed MoU with the IAF for recruiting retired pilots and engineers after retirement.
Twenty-three private companies from the field of aviation, small gadgets manufacturing, security, health and insurance have registered to select 2500 retired personnel in the two-day fair starting here tomorrow.
The first placement fair for retired personnel of the IAF in Delhi attracted a lot of interest among private companies and over 3000 personnel found employment.
17/05/08 Press Trust of India/Kolkata Newsline

New Delhi: France on Wednesday said it is planning to set up an aviation training school in India together with helicopter maker Eurocopter, even as it seeks technical and business partnership with India in the field of transport.
"There is a huge shortage of helicopter pilots in India. We have started a dialogue for setting up a training school for such pilots. In the next few days we would be looking at concretising the plans," French Minister of State for Transport Dominique Bussereau, who is on a two-day visit to India, told reporters here.
Bussereau said he has spoken to Civil Aviation Minister Paful Patel in this regard.
France is also looking at partnering India in the field of airport modernisation and port development.
14/05/08 PTI/Economic Times

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday admitted a petition filed by Jet Airways raising the issue whether pilots are workmen and if they can claim benefits under the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.
A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhan today stayed the Bombay High Court's judgement that directed the Central government to refer the dispute involving the issue to the Central Industrial Tribunal.
Earlier, it had issued notice to the Centre through Ministry of Labour, Regional Labour Commissioner, Conciliation Officer, and senior commander Cedric D'Silva who had challenged Jet Airways (I) Ltd's order terminating his services as a pilot before the High Court.
The High Court had observed that the existing position in law since the award passed by National Industrial Tribunal, Lucknow was that all the pilots - whether co-pilot or chief pilot - were workmen as they performed highly skilled technical work.
Opposing the reference of the dispute to the tribunal, Jet Airways in its appeal said the senior commanders being pilots-in-command of the aircraft were not workmen as they were completely incharge of the entire crew of the aircraft and also exercised full managerial and supervisory powers with regard to ground personnel, government authorities and even passengers.
12/05/08 PTI/Economic Times

Lingayen: A two-seater, single engine Cessna plane owned by Flight and Simulator Training (Fast), Inc. crash land at Lingayen airport Sunday morning. Nobody was reported injured.
The pilot was identified as Nachikita Raval, 19, an Indian national.
Mariano Trinidad of the Air Transportation Office (ATO) said they are waiting for the report of the ATO Safety Investigating Team (which was to arrive Monday afternoon) on the matter.
It was at 10:25 a.m. Sunday when the Cessna plane (RP C-8204) approached runway 08 of Lingayen airport for Raval’s third and final pattern of her solo flight.
It touched down on the spot of the threshold slightly to the runway 08 centerline, causing the aircraft to nose dive on the left side of the runway.
The aircraft skidded for about 300 meters. It suffered damages on the right wing, landing gear, nose, engine and propeller.
The hanger of Fast Flight is at the Manila Domestic Airport Complex General Aviation Area in Pasay City.
The Lingayen airstrip was built in 1945 by the Americans during the liberation of Luzon. Its current runway measures 920 meters.
13/04/08 Liway C. Manantan-Yparraguirre/Sun.Star, Philippines

NEW DELHI: India’s rapidly growing civil aviation sector is facing an acute shortage of trained pilots, particularly for wide-bodied passenger jetliners, and nearly 5,000 more pilots may be needed over the next five years.
“Considering the present growth of the aviation industry, it has been estimated that in the next five years 5,000 additional pilots would be required for scheduled operations and 1,000 pilots for non-scheduled and private operations,” Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said.
The crunch is also being faced by the public sector carrier, Air India, forcing it to temporarily withdraw the Kolkata-London flight which was operated by Boeing 777 aircraft.
“All our scheduled flights are being operated and no other flight has been affected due to non-availability of commanders. All efforts are being made to get pilots and commanders to operate 777 aircraft,” Air India’s spokesperson told The Hindu here on Friday.
Air India has put two B-777-200 Long Range aircraft each on its non-stop flights to the U.S. from Delhi and Mumbai, while the fifth B-777 is being kept as a back-up aircraft. Air India has eight brand new B-777 aircraft and two more will join its fleet by August. The airline also has four B-777 leased aircraft and has to cough up a huge amount every month as lease. Even if one aircraft gets grounded due to lack of commanders, the carrier stands to lose a substantial amount every month.
The spokesman said that Air India was expediting the pace of training of pilots and three Captains were turning out every month to fly B-777 aircraft. The carrier has also recently sent a batch of 25 young pilots for training to flying schools in the U.S.
While the shortage is for “type rated” pilots, fast growth of civil aviation sector has also witnessed a boom in youngsters flocking to the flight training schools in America, South Asia, Canada and U.K. and paying on an average Rs. 20-25 lakhs for training as a pilot. Industry sources said Commercial Pilot License (CPL) holders would be available in plenty in the country over the next year.
The lure of the high-flying career can be gauged from the fact that Air India received nearly 800 applications about five months ago when it advertised for trainee pilots. The airline employs nearly 800 pilots out of which 117 are foreigners.
The civil aviation sector employs about 2,500 pilots of which about 900 are foreigners and about five per cent are above 60 years and are from the U.S.
10/05/08 Vinay Kumar/The Hindu

Ranchi: The realty and aviation boom that took the capital to new heights could crash-land the city’s chances of bagging the state government’s first flying institute.
The first such school could now be based in Hazaribagh with Ranchi’s overcrowded skyline — due to mushrooming high-rises — and the boom in aviation services coming in the way of smooth operations of the proposed institute.
The aviation boom, ironically, would impede the smooth operations of the academy if it was set up in Ranchi, officials said. About five airlines began services to Ranchi in two years and Birsa Munda airport would not be able to handle the pressure put by these airlines and that of the academy.
According to principal secretary of the state civil aviation department A.K. Pandey, the initial proposal was to set up a flying institute each at Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Dhanbad and Daltonganj.
The capital was set to get the first one. But Ranchi started losing pole position in the race for the first institute after protests from the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
The organisation responsible for civil aviation infrastructure on the ground and in the air was displeased with the mushrooming of several high-rises within 20km of the Birsa Munda airport.
Once ready, the Jharkhand government’s first flying institute — to be established in collaboration with Birla Institute of Technology (BIT), Mesra — would offer courses in aircraft maintenance engineering and pilot training, among others.
The space and rocketry department of the BIT would be implementing the ambitious project in association with the state civil aviation department.
The proposed institutes would train youths in flying commercial aircraft and aircraft maintenance. The names of the courses are yet to be announced.
08/05/08 Amit Gupta/The Telegraph

Your flight's been cancelled? You're not alone - and the situation could be worse.
The culprit this time isn't high fuel prices. It's a shortage of pilots - and experts maintain there's no solution on the horizon.
"We've been warning about this for a long time," says Colin Rodgers, president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of Australia.
A prime cause of the aviation staffing pickle, says veteran airman Rodgers, is the cost of training.
"It's too high - it costs a young person around $100,000 to train to be a pilot.
It's Rodgers' belief that pilot training has been a low priority for successive governments.
He urges more training facilities and greater financial help for would-be pilots.
Just how bad is the situation? Regional Express (Rex) estimates Australia will need an additional 1800 pilots over the next two years but will train well under half that number.
Rex is like all big operators in Australia (including QantasLink) who have cancelled some flights.
As jobs open up at large airlines, small airlines often find it very difficult to recruit and keep pilots. (But the drift to big airlines isn't strong enough to end pilot shortages there.)
Little airlines in remote areas are hardest hit. Analysts expect some to go to the wall over the next 12 months.
Overseas, four United States airlines closed in recent weeks. Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, a long-haul budget carrier serving London and Vancouver, also stopped flying.
In all cases, rising fuel prices were blamed - but industry sources say difficulty obtaining pilots in an employees' market was also a factor.
In nations such as India, the Philippines and South Africa, an exodus of sorely-needed pilots wanting fatter pay-packets is blamed on poaching by other countries' airlines.
In Manila, the Philippines capital, the lament is often heard that the country spends considerable sums training pilots - who then leave in droves.
South African pilots, like Australians, often head to well-paying Middle Eastern airlines.
South African aviation websites feature success stories of pilots who have migrated to Australia. Jetstar and V Australia (Virgin Blue's not-yet-flying international offshoot) have recruited pilots from South Africa, say these websites.
An industry think-tank estimates Asia - where start-up low-cost carriers are fuelling rapid growth - will have a shortfall of 10,000 pilots by 2010.
The booming aviation industries of China and India, in particular, are desperately short of pilots.
China trains about 600 pilots annually but needs more than twice that many to keep up with demand, according to an analysis by the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
India requires 450 pilots immediately and will need 4500 more over the next five years, according to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.
Even if extra pilots became available today - and this won't happen - there wouldn't be enough to soak up the shortfall, either in Australia or overseas.
08/05/08 Sydney Morning Herald, Australia

CAA’s academy launched its 1st Pilot Training Academy at Dhana (Dist Sagar, MP) . Established with an investment of INR 300 Million, this academy will train 130 CPL (Commercial Pilot License) per year. Integrated Training would be conducted on brand new aircrafts by highly renowned faculty and would be completed in record time of 1 Year.CAA is part of the Chimes Group, a Multi Venture organisation promoted by Uday Punj.CAA follows a rigorous evaluation & selection process for student screening and induction. Strict adherence to quality & ethics ensures our commitment of delivering excellence within defined timelines.
CAA is part of the Chimes Group, a Multi Venture organisation promoted by Mr. Uday Punj.
CAA offers DGCA approved integrated courses like ‘Commercial Pilots License’ (CPL) and ‘Private Pilots License’ (PPL). We also offer customized short term programmes like Multi Engine Rating , Instrument rating , License Endorsement and Hours Building for CPL and PPL under the ‘Chimes Flying Programme (CFP)’
CAA is equipped with Garmin 000 glass cockpit Single and Multi engine aircraft, Large IT enabled Ground School, Advanced Simulators and a large brand new hanger with world class maintenance facility .
05/05/08 Press Media Wire, USA

Chennai: With an estimated 40,000 new cabin crew jobs to be created by airlines operating about 750 aircraft by 2010, Indian aviation is spreading its wings to reach youngsters from smaller cities and villages.
"For young people, aviation is the future. On being recruited as in-flight personnel, students who are fresh out of school can earn salaries between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000 a month," said Pawan Kumar Gupta, managing director, Peekay Holidays Private Limited.
While a job with Emirates, which offers a salary of Rs 60,000 is the most sought-after, students have a variety of options to choose from.
However, the conditions that airlines have in place for selection tend to exclude a majority of the students. "Girls have to be at least 157 cm tall (5’1") while the minimum height for boys is 167 cm (5’5"). Airlines stress on height since attendants have to be tall enough to reach the overhead bins. They also insist that candidates should have clear skin," said K C S Kannan, Branch Manager, Air Hostess Academy (AHA) – Chennai, which offers a one-year Diploma in Aviation Hospitality Management.
Training institutes, therefore, offer a syllabus focusing on aspects common to different professions. "Our course caters to the aviation, travel and hospitality sectors. Though most students want to fly, we train them for other jobs as well so they have something to fall back on," said Benjamin Verghese of Frankfinn Institute.
To encourage vocational courses, the state has introduced a scheme under the aegis of the Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing Corporation (TAHDCO) to enroll 200 boys and girls at AHA with a monthly stipend of Rs 200 each.
06/05/08 Karthika Gopalakrishnan/Times of India

Albany, Georgia, USA: The sounds of the plane propeller caught Clay Bigelow's attention early. "Since I was about 15," said Bigelow.
Now some years later, he's taking the necessary lessons to make a childhood dream a reality. "It's something I've always wanted to do," said Bigelow.
The Cessna 172 he's learning to fly is a far cry from the flight simulator he played with as a teenager. "It's a little more difficult than I thought it would be," said Bigelow. Sights like the mangled wreckage left from a deadly Sumter County crash over the weekend show just how difficult real flying can be.
"It bothers me anytime something like that happens," said pilot and flight instructor Scott Gatlin.
Unfortunately, it's happened several times lately. "Spring time," said Gatlin, "more people are flying."
That's why Gatlin makes sure future pilots have what it takes to take to the skies. "By the time they get to the point where they can become a pilot in command and can actually haul passengers, they have to have between 40 and 60 hours of comprehensive training," said Gatlin. Pilots are taught that a lot of the safety begins with them.
"95 percent of the time when a small plane crashes, it's due to pilot error," said Gatlin.
Before pilots take off, they have to make sure everything on the plane is on the up and up. "Anything that man makes can break," said Gatlin.
Bigelow takes several minutes to inspect attachment points, check fuel levels and look for any damage as part of a required pre-flight inspection. Taking timeout can make a big difference. Bigelow isn't very worried though.
"If I follow the procedures I'm getting taught then I'll be fine," said Bigelow.
It won't be long until the long-awaited day. "Hopefully not too much longer," said Bigelow. That's when he'll be solo in the skies.
Already on just the 5th day of May, there were 4 small plane crashes nationwide. Two of those have been here in Georgia. Scott Gatlin says plane crashes are always going to be shocking because they happen less often than motor vehicle accidents.
06/05/08 Len Kiese/WALB-TV, USA

Raipur: The Chhattisgarh government has decided to give free flying training to nine boys from Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes and OBCs every year.
Earlier, it had announced airhostess training to girls belonging to STs and SCs. According to Anil Tuteja, the state’s director of aviation, the government will bear complete expenses of pilot training to boys belonging to the reserved categories and coming from below poverty line families.
Tuteja said pilot aspirants should have passed Class XII (with maths and physics) in first division. They will be given admission at Sai Fly Tech Academy at Chakarbhata airport in Bilaspur.
The state plans to spend Rs 1.32 crore every year on training the youth.
03/05/08 Times of India