United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Australia eases working visa rules to combat pilot shortage
Faced with a looming pilot shortage, Australia is to again relax visa norms to attract more foreign pilots.
Immigration minister Peter Dutton has tentatively given the green light for the resumption of two-year visas for qualified pilots, the Regional Aviation Association of Australia said.
The association is also pushing for the visas to be expanded to four years.
Pilots had been removed from the foreign worker visa list after the government revamped the system earlier this year.
"In order to attract suitably senior pilots, who more than likely have a family growing up and so forth, we need to make it attractive enough for them to come across and uproot their family. A four-year period seems to be a sweet spot," said Regional Aviation Association of Australia CEO Mike Higgins.
Higgins says hiring drives by major carriers like Etihad and Emirates have helped fuel the pilot shortage with Australian carriers forced to hire pilots from a limited pool at smaller regional airlines.
Murray Butt, president of the Australian and International Pilots Association, questioned the quality of pilots that will come to work in Australia, given that the shortage has been fuelled by home grown pilots moving overseas for higher salaries.
"Bringing in foreign pilots is definitely a very short-term fix and, given the market, I’m not sure of the quality of the pilots they are going to get," Butt said.
He also called out the number of flight schools now owned by foreign airline companies which serve to train their own pilots.
The pilot shortage issue has been at the forefront in the last few months after multiple flight cancelations in October and November citing a shortage of cockpit crew at Qantas.
Related News Stories:
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail
Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
Robert Terrell: A Journey Through BB King’s Influence
Rochelle Hicks: Celebrating Mississippi’s Musical Legacy
Exploring Jacksonville with Katie Mitura: The Flip Side of Florida
Tricia Handley-Hughes of Inteletravel announces the location for the TravelQuest 2025 conference
Insights from James Ferrara on Inteletravel’s Growth and Future
Tricia Handley-Hughes on Inteletravel’s Growth and Challenges
Tony from Gatto’s Pizza on Columbus’s Unique Pizza Trail
Sophia Hyder Hock on Global Social Inclusion in Tourism
Dozens fall ill in P&O Cruises ship outbreak
Woman dies after getting ‘entangled’ in baggage carousel
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Boy falls to death on cruise ship
BA pilot dies during layover