Carriers set to boost local hires amid pilot shortage

Chinese carriers are exploring ways to recruit and train more talent locally to cope with the acute shortage of pilots and training facilities, amid surging demand for air travel in the country.

Currently, only a few major domestic airlines have well-established pilot training systems. Many small and budget carriers are yet to build their own pilot training mechanisms and lack training facilities like flight simulators.

Foreign companies, however, are looking to make inroads into China's civil aviation market by setting up more pilot training facilities. Avia Solutions Group, a Lithuania-based aviation services company, plans to establish a pilot training center in Zhengzhou, Henan province. The center is set to open in 2020, and will provide training services for Chinese airlines, it said.