Malaysian aviation school woos Indian cadet pilots

Kuala Lumpur: The country’s first aviation academy recognised as a higher private tertiary institution is fast turning into a leading pilot training provider in Asia Pacific.
Kota Baru-based Asia Pacific Flight Training Sdn Bhd (APFT) has trained cadet pilots from abroad, in addition to those sent by local carriers Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia Bhd.
APFT chairman Datuk Faruk Othman said it is now in talks with several foreign carriers including Indian airlines to send their cadet pilots for up to 18 months of training there.
“The academy has the capacity to train 200-220. Despite strong interest, we are not going to increase capacity drastically as we prefer quality over quantity,” Faruk told Business Times in an interview in Kuala Lumpur recently.
Cadet pilots of Royal Nepal Airlines are undergoing training at the academy now, in addition to a few cadet pilots from Zanzibar and Syria. Late last month, 20 cadet pilots from Indonesia national carrier Garuda Airlines enrolled for a stint there.
Faruk said APFT is certified by the Department of Civil Aviation and is recognised by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
“Our facilities include 20 single-engine aircraft and four twin- engine aircraft,” he said.
The academy, Faruk said, works in collaboration with Boeing Industries’ subsidiaries Jeppesen and Alteon on their training system.
Cadets graduating from APFT will not only obtain their Commercial Pilot Licences but also a diploma in aviation management as it is certified as a private higher education institute.
09/03/08 Zuraimi Abdullah/New Straits Times/RedOrbit, US