Pinstripe | The talent shortage from sim providers’ perspective

There are 20-plus cabin crew roles advertised that I could find in our region right now. The USA regional airlines are talking green cards and pathways to mainline carriers for the first time, continuing to entice our talent, and one single carrier here at home reportedly requires 29 training captains.

I know the impact based on the statistics and anecdotally in my day-to-day role, so I wanted the perspective from other ancillary providers involved in recruitment – the simulation (sim) centres. What trends have they noticed?

By what percentage has sim preparation for airlines increased in 2023 compared to 2022?

“The 22/23 year saw an increase of approximately 200% in bookings for Airline interview simulator preparation at our centre. The upside of this predicted increase in airline pilot retirements for our operation is two-fold. We now have access to more highly experienced retiring training pilots who can provide expert-level preparation, and we have more availability. This is supporting pilots, particularly freshly minted CPL pilots, to reach the right standards to manage airline recruitment with confidence.”

Another operator noted, “Due to the demand, getting in early is essential, we always do our best to find a session for pilots, but demand is high for MCC courses as well as airline preparation, so last-minute requests are often sadly a no can do.”

At Pinstripe, we monitor open regional, domestic, and jet-flying roles. Currently, with more than 35 airline jobs open in our immediate region, the chance of getting an interview is good. Add that to the demand sim preparation centres are under, I tell my candidates to assume the best and start preparing as if it’s a given and to book their sim preparation early.

Have you noticed a change in the experience of candidates preparing for multi-crew operations, for example, more low-hours pilots?

“It is not uncommon for our centre to see a 200-hour pilot preparing for the Dash8 right-hand seat First Officer role.”

Research on hour minimums for currently advertised roles reflects this:

• QantasLink FO – Dash 8: 700
• Virgin Australia FO – 737: 500
• Rex FO – SAAB: 500
• Air New Zealand FO EOI – Turboprop: 500

How have you seen the delay in airline-type ratings and training impacting the industry?

Hold files are non-existent or quite short – a major departure from hold file times being anywhere from 3–12 months.

“Airlines seem to be coping with the influx of staff. However, when it comes to line flying, there is a bottleneck. We have noticed that some pilots have completed their sim training and were then sent on leave. As an example of the lead times required, if a Captain retires, it takes up to two years to replace them. That is, to hire the Second Officer, to replace the First Officer, to replace the Captain (through progression or external hiring). Add even more lead time if a Captain needs to be trained as a Check and Training Captain.

The word ‘bottleneck’ stands out. The days of pilots waiting months for a ‘yes you are hired’ or ‘it’s a no this time’ or even waiting 12 months for a start date have gone.

There are plenty of roles and prospects across aviation employment sectors. As a pilot aiming for an airline career, there are multiple options and demand is high.

Post-pandemic, my prediction was normality around operations, talent and training would not return until 2024. We seem to be on track for that, with 2023 remaining a period of challenge management, growth, and future-proofing.

*Flying hours based on online research, as at the time of publication.