Jetstar to recruit 75 foreign pilots

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