Recession, rising
fuel costs, cautious consumer spend on holidays, and the reigning in of
business travel, are all factors that conspired to put the brakes on growth in
the commercial aviation industry in Europe and the US in the last few years.
As a result of
mergers between airlines, and major cuts in the industry, jobs for pilots and flight engineers have not been easy to secure in the last
three years, with many pilots on online discussion forums talking about the
need to pay for a Type Rating [with most airlines] today before being in with a
chance, and a one in 20 likelihood of getting through the interview stage. But
there are many reasons to be optimistic about pilot jobs in 2013 and beyond, as
this article explains. Despite the downturn, leading jobs board Aviation Jobsearch, has continued to see hundreds of pilot job postings per month
throughout 2012 and an uplift in advertised job
opportunities for pilots and specialist aviation
engineers, designers, fabricators and fitters, is expected this year.
What’s
the context for UK pilot jobs in 2013?
In the event, the
£172.5 million takeover in 2012 of bmi by the parent group of British Airways
has led to job losses, rather than a need for more pilots and cabin crew. While
many bmi pilot jobs were ‘saved’ by the merger, there’s not likely to be a big
recruitment drive at BA following the integration of bmi’s talent. In early
December British Airways announced its intention to shed 400 senior cabin crew
staff, and sister carrier Iberia is being dramatically restructured with around
4,500 crew jobs expected to go. Captain and first officer jobs may be protected,
but this is clearly not a fertile time for BA.
In the Armed
Forces extreme austerity measures have led to periods of zero pilot recruitment
in 2012 and it’s not yet clear when recruitment will return to normal levels –
the emphasis still being on rationalisation of manpower for the foreseeable
future.
There is clearly
a glut of pilot talent out there at the moment, but could this be about to
change, as we edge out of recession? Some pilots are saying there is light at
the end of the tunnel. “While the market is picking up for experienced pilots,
it is very slow and if you don’t have the correct rating or aircraft type
experience, and now current within 3 months – or even 28 days – you get
discounted,” said one forum commentator in October 2012.
Taking a more
positive stance, and considering longer term prospects, John Turner, Director
of Aviation Affairs at The Guild of Air Pilots
and Air Navigators (GAPAN) says that demand
for pilots around the world will inevitably pick up, although he sees a
struggle ahead for those with very little flying experience.
“The global fleet
of commercial aircraft today is 22,000, but thanks to emerging economies the
industry is expanding so fast that the prediction is for 40,000 planes to by
flying in 10 years’ time,” he says. “Much of this growth is coming from China,
Indonesia, and other growth markets in Asia, the Far East and South America.”
He adds that India has possibly already peaked in terms of aviation capacity.
Turner says another
reason for pilot vacancies becoming more plentiful in the coming years is the
fact that many highly experienced captains will be heading into retirement in
the next few years. These long-serving pilots typically started out in
commercial flying in the post-Second World War years, when airlines took on and
trained ex-forces pilots. “This will leave openings in the top end of civil
aviation as retirees are replaced with first officers ready to move up the
career ladder,” he says.
The
pilot role is now global
The “quantum
change” the UK commercial aviation industry has seen in recent years is down to
large carriers being replaced by low cost carriers. This has meant the pilot
jobs market has evolved in the last decade, in terms of who requires pilots,
and how pilots are hired and contracted to work, says Turner. Some airlines are
starting to introduce shorter contracts that only cover 7 to 10 months of the
year, meaning full-time employment all year round is not guaranteed.
Tightly managed
airlines have kept costs under control and proved to be resilient. Faring well
despite the recession and fuel cost hikes are the budget airlines such as
Easyjet, Ryanair and Jet2.com, so pilot jobs are likely to be forthcoming here.
In 2013 international airlines likely to be looking for pilots include Cathay
Pacific, Korean Air, Air Canada, Turkish Airlines, Skylark Airlines (Japan),
Emirates, Etihad, Gulf Air and Air China.
“The job of pilot
is increasingly a global one,” says Turner at GAPAN. “UK trained pilots can
find work flying for operations out of Canada, Germany, France, Australia,
Norway, all over the world. British pilot training is well regarded, and even
in regions such as the Middle East where there is government policy in place to
nurture local talent, that can’t be achieved overnight, so there is still a
need for our pilots and our training skills.” He adds that although there is a
demand in the USA for experienced pilots, the tight immigration rules make
landing a job stateside almost impossible for British pilots.
Although job
prospects for pilots are likely to be better in 2013 than in 2012, entering the
profession should be viewed with caution, experts warn. With 86% of new
professional pilots paying for their own training there are concerns that young
pilots may struggle to find employment after investing heavily in training.
It’s especially costly in the UK, compared to France, Spain or the USA, for
example, because UK flying school students have an additional 20% VAT levied on
their training costs.
The
costs of qualifying as a pilot
In a bid to
reduce the numbers of young hopefuls embarking on expensive training, but
failing to make it in the profession, GAPAN has developed an Aptitude Test,
where highly experienced pilots can assess candidates on an individual basis.
“It’s a great career if you have the right skill set, good hand eye
co-ordination and the right character,” says Turner. “Already over a thousand
candidates have seen the wisdom of having their aptitude tested before
embarking on the huge expense of a commercial flying training course.”
Meanwhile several
parties including GAPAN, People 1st, City & Guilds and flight training
organisations have teamed up to develop the Professional
Pilot’s Higher Apprenticeship (PPHA) initative. This aims to supplement existing self-funded
training routes to offer affordable, broader training equipping pilots with
transferrable skills that will see them through the trials of a career in
aviation. Jet2.com is expected to enroll the first candidates in March 2013 as
part of an initial trial.
“Demand for pilots is growing, but the lack of funding for training is a serious
deterrent to good candidates,” says Turner. “UK airlines want the best pilots
and this apprenticeship programme maps out a realistic career path for those
with the right skills to make the grade.”
