Issue 357: Big Bird

We can’t have it both ways, happily accepting that Australian pilots work overseas while complaining that foreign pilots shouldn’t work in Australia.

Of course those are two sides of the same coin. The airline pilot jobs market is an increasingly global one, and countless Australians have headed off to work overseas, the beneficiaries of booming airline traffic growth and the often insatiable demand of Middle Eastern and Asian carriers for more pilots to fly more aircraft to meet that booming passenger demand.

And for good reason, with Australian pilots highly respected abroad for their experience and skills.

But that’s not to say the hiring of Australian pilots doesn’t have flow-on effects locally, where regional airlines in particular, arguably at the bottom of the airline pilot food chain, can be hard hit. Whenever a Qantas or a Virgin loses an experienced pilot to an Emirates or an Etihad, they in turn recruit from the regional airline operators. But often that new recruit is an experienced regional airline captain, denuding that airline not just of skills but experience.

For now, Australia’s two major airline groups, and especially Qantas, are big enough and ugly enough to look after themselves as far as pilot recruitment goes.

But the regionals, and flying schools, are hurting – hence the push to reinstate visas for foreign pilots. That’s likely to prove a band-aid solution at best. After all, Australia is now competing in a global market for skilled and talented pilots. Australia certainly has the lifestyle appeal, but can we compete on wages? And how many foreign pilots would want to relocate to Australia when their visas last just two years?

Ultimately, the solutions to any pilot shortage in Australia are what they have always been – better pay and conditions so pilots are less tempted to work overseas in the first place, but also better, more affordable pilot training pathways.

Becoming an airline pilot has always required grit and determination, especially for those that have self-funded their training and worked their way up through the general aviation ranks.

But the trade-off to that was that once the goal of a position with a major airline was achieved, the conditions and professional and private lifestyle that that afforded made all that effort worthwhile.

But all that is changing, the hard grind that is the life of a low-cost carrier pilot in particular is a far cry from the pay and perks of an A380 pilot with a legacy carrier.

Plenty of people still want to fly, and love to fly.

But the danger is that the airline pilot career path is losing its glamour and appeal. How many pilots of today’s low-cost airlines in particular would encourage their kids into a flying career?

Weigh that against the challenges and cost of self-funding a pilot career, and Australia’s airlines will face a pilot supply problem not just at the top, thanks to foreign airline recruitment, but at the bottom, if fewer kids choose a flying career pathway.

Improving current pilot employment conditions (not just money, that’s important, but working conditions and corporate cultures are equally strong considerations) would be a good start.

But better, more affordable pilot training pathways (HECS for pilots, anyone?), plus a better regulatory and financial environment for flying schools in Australia, would help even more.

Thank You Gordon And Tony

I wanted to thank and acknowledge Gordon Reid and Tony Arbon for their contributions to Australian Aviation over many, many years. The January- February issue marked Tony’s last Register Update contribution, while this issue we farewell Traffic.

Both columns have been part of Australian Aviation for over 30 years. That is an amazing record and I want to thank Tony and Gordon for their terrific and well-loved columns over that time. The magazine, and the broader aviation industry, has been much the richer for them.

Personally, it has been a pleasure and a privilege working with you both. I will miss your contributions, as I know many of our readers will as well.

Thank you.

‘The airline pilot jobs market is an increasingly global one.’