Crowded field

Qantas fires the starting gun on its new pilot training academy location

It’s probably no surprise Qantas has been deluged by applications from budding young pilots for its planned new flying academy, given its reputation for having highly professional cockpit crew. Now, the hard work begins as it moves to decide where the facility should be.

Within weeks of Qantas group chief executive Alan Joyce announcing the airline will set up its own Qantas Group Pilot Academy more than 12,500 prospective candidates have registered their interest in signing up, with some 15 per cent of them being women. That’s the word from a Qantas spokesperson who says “there’s a lot of excitement right across the Australian aviation industry and we’re looking forward to welcoming the first 100 students to the Academy next year”.