GUANGZHOU – China Southern Airlines is recruiting 100 pilots who will pay for their own training.
News reports in China say the move is aimed at solving a chronic shortage of pilots in China.
The civil aviation sector is expected to have a shortfall in demand of almost 10,000 pilots by 2010, said Yu Renlu with Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
More than 90% of China’s pilots are trained by the Sichuan-based Civil Aviation Flight University of China under the supervision of the CAAC, which recruits up to 1,000 pilots a year.
Pilot trainees have to study and train in the CAFUC for four years before they graduate.
Airlines spend almost a million yuan (US$130,000) to train each pilot, said Wang Renjie, of China Southern. Chinese pilots trained in this way are usually obligated to serve long-term contracts with the same airline.
The 100 pilot trainees under the China Southern programme would study at the CAFUC for two years, including 18 months of flight training.
Men aged 20 to 27 with at least a high-school diploma can sign up at the website of China Southern for enrolment by the end of June.
They are expected to pay about 652,000 yuan (US$84,600) each for the training, and would be allowed to work for other airlines when they fulfill the required service for China Southern.
