Crew shortage grounds major expansion plans

Intense growth in commercial aviation sector has left China short of experienced pilots and technicians

Chinese airlines are facing a looming human resources crisis as the industry's blistering growth rate has created an insatiable demand for pilots.

As airlines continue to map out new flight routes, the marked increase in long-haul services has left a shortage of experienced pilots capable of flying the physically demanding passages.

Aircraft manufacturer Boeing predicted that in the next 20 years more than 192,000 new pilots would be needed to fill the demand in the Asia-Pacific region.

"In many regions of the world, a pilot shortage is already here," Boeing said in its Pilot and Technician Outlook 2013 report.

"Asia-Pacific in particular is experiencing delays and operational interruptions due to pilot scheduling constraints."

Globally, Boeing estimated nearly 500,000 pilots would be needed to meet demand by 2031.

Many of the vacant positions are being sought by China, which the International Air Travel Association forecast would be the largest driver of growth globally for new passengers over the next three years.

Of the new pilots required, nearly 40 percent - 77,400 - will be sought by Chinese airlines.

Tied closely to the expansion of China's airplane fleets, the report estimated more than 5,500 new aircraft, costing $780 billion (574 billion euros), would be needed to meet growth rates over the next 20 years.

One aircraft requires about eight to 10 pilots to operate regularly. With a limit of 100 flying hours per month, long-haul flights, which are taxing on the pilots, create the biggest demand.

Zou Jianjun, a professor at the Civil Aviation Management Institute of China, estimates China was already short of 10,000 pilots at the time of the Boeing report's release.

"Captains, especially those flying wide-body aircraft, are the ones in demand, not ordinary pilots," he says.

It takes an average of eight years before a pilot can be promoted to captain, with many positions requiring more than 4,000 hours of flying experience, though qualification is based on rating.

Signs that China's airlines are in urgent need of skilled pilots can be observed in jobs paying upward of $270,000 a year, with benefits, on offer from some of China's largest airlines, including Hainan Airlines.

In comparison, salaries for a captain working for a medium-sized US carrier start at $87,000 a year. Skilled pilots working for major airlines can make up to $225,000 a year. The average annual wage of a pilot was $114,000 in 2012, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Another factor contributing to China's shortage of pilots is the lack of general aviation airspace needed to train young pilots.

Changes, however, are underway. Reforms of civil airspace began in 2010, followed by test programs in Tangshan, Xi'an, Qingdao, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Kunming and Chongqing.

In November, the Civil Aviation Administration of China greatly simplified the approval procedures for private and personal flights.

Airline technicians are also in need, with China once again posting the highest demand in the region. An estimated 93,900 additional technicians are needed by 2032, according to the Boeing report.

toddbalazovic@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 01/10/2014 page7)