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2018
2018
In a past edition of Airline Profits, we discussed the shocking announcement made by Ryanair CEO, Michael O’Leary about their intent to carry passengers for free in about a decade or so. In this article, we are back with yet another shocking perspective regarding the pilot crisis that the Irish airline experienced a few months ago.
As you probably know, there are talks about pilotless airplanes. Such an innovative technology is expected to be ready by 2020. There is indeed a lot to say about the potential revolution such a breakthrough can bring about. However, that is not the primary concern in this article. Here, the point is that until such an invention is completed, adopted by the airlines and widely accepted by air passengers, one constant will remain. And that is the need for qualified pilots. The role pilots play in aircraft operations and especially in the activities of a scheduled airline is extremely important. Sure, there is more to airline operations than merely flying an airplane. At the same time, flying the aircraft is the most critical piece in the air transport puzzle. Without that crucial piece, no airline can operate.
No one outside of Ryanair’s organization could have anticipated what was going to begin as flight cancelations and later confirmed as a severe pilot crisis. Until then things seemed to be going well for Ryanair, arguably Europe’s most profitable air carrier.
Here, the one-to-one link cannot be missed: no pilots, no flights.
And the various news reports revealed that pilots were leaving the Irish airline, while at the same time, it was difficult for the most significant European carrier to attract and hire new ones. As a result, Ryanair anticipated the cancelation of hundreds of flights as far out as May 2018. Considering, the fact that this crisis broke out in the summer of 2017, that was going to represent practically more than six months worth of flight cancelations. That would be very difficult for any air carrier to entertain. And even if that was possible to sustain at a financial level, the other aspect that can deal a deadly blow is a tarnished brand reputation.
Following some drastic changes in leadership and how the crisis was being managed, Ryanair has deployed a very aggressive pilot hiring plan. Every week or so, they are bringing new pilots on board. As such, the Irish carrier was able to hire over 1,100 new pilots by the end of 2017. Furthermore, as of May 17, 2018, the date of this article, another group of 26 pilots joined the airline for a year-to-date total of 379 pilots. There are no doubts that Ryanair will continue its hiring efforts until it has enough pilots available to sustain its operations.
With that said, however, the primary focus of this article goes beyond the Ryanair case. In fact, what happened to this airline could be a prelude to the challenge many other carriers may face in the future when the anticipated shortage of pilots becomes even acuter.
In recent years, both Boeing and Airbus have signaled that about one million qualified workers will be needed in some 20 years from now. Of that number, roughly half would be pilots and the rest would be technical personnel.
It takes many years to train and become a qualified line pilot. For aircraft maintenance personnel, the learning curve is shorter. However, it does take time to acquire a remarkable amount of experience.
And that implies many things. Firstly, it will take many years to come close to meeting that challenge.
Secondly, considering the very selective nature of aviation jobs, it will take at least twice or thrice as many candidates before pretending to reach the target of one million qualified workers.
Thirdly, referring to the ethics concern that we covered in a previous Airline Profits edition, it may take even more recruits before identifying worthy candidates who can sustain and preserve a good reputation of the aviation industry.
In recent years, there have been many initiatives by leading aviation bodies, namely ICAO, IATA, ACI, to name a few, to encourage training programs targeted towards the youth. For instance, the support provided to aviation training academies in different parts of the world is undoubtedly a right way forward. The question is: is that enough? Probably not and a lot more work needs to be done.
It is hard to think about airlines without pilots and technical personnel. And likewise, it is hard to think about a world without airlines. That reality is becoming increasingly apparent every day as air transport connects several city pairs around the globe every other minute or hour while contributing to the economic growth in different parts of the world.
In a past edition of Airline Profits, we discussed the shocking announcement made by Ryanair CEO, Michael O’Leary about their intent to carry passengers for free in about a decade or so. In this article, we are back with yet another shocking perspective regarding the pilot crisis that the Irish airline experienced a few months ago.
As you probably know, there are talks about pilotless airplanes. Such an innovative technology is expected to be ready by 2020. There is indeed a lot to say about the potential revolution such a breakthrough can bring about. However, that is not the primary concern in this article. Here, the point is that until such an invention is completed, adopted by the airlines and widely accepted by air passengers, one constant will remain. And that is the need for qualified pilots. The role pilots play in aircraft operations and especially in the activities of a scheduled airline is extremely important. Sure, there is more to airline operations than merely flying an airplane. At the same time, flying the aircraft is the most critical piece in the air transport puzzle. Without that crucial piece, no airline can operate.
No one outside of Ryanair’s organization could have anticipated what was going to begin as flight cancelations and later confirmed as a severe pilot crisis. Until then things seemed to be going well for Ryanair, arguably Europe’s most profitable air carrier.
Here, the one-to-one link cannot be missed: no pilots, no flights.
And the various news reports revealed that pilots were leaving the Irish airline, while at the same time, it was difficult for the most significant European carrier to attract and hire new ones. As a result, Ryanair anticipated the cancelation of hundreds of flights as far out as May 2018. Considering, the fact that this crisis broke out in the summer of 2017, that was going to represent practically more than six months worth of flight cancelations. That would be very difficult for any air carrier to entertain. And even if that was possible to sustain at a financial level, the other aspect that can deal a deadly blow is a tarnished brand reputation.
Following some drastic changes in leadership and how the crisis was being managed, Ryanair has deployed a very aggressive pilot hiring plan. Every week or so, they are bringing new pilots on board. As such, the Irish carrier was able to hire over 1,100 new pilots by the end of 2017. Furthermore, as of May 17, 2018, the date of this article, another group of 26 pilots joined the airline for a year-to-date total of 379 pilots. There are no doubts that Ryanair will continue its hiring efforts until it has enough pilots available to sustain its operations.
With that said, however, the primary focus of this article goes beyond the Ryanair case. In fact, what happened to this airline could be a prelude to the challenge many other carriers may face in the future when the anticipated shortage of pilots becomes even acuter.
In recent years, both Boeing and Airbus have signaled that about one million qualified workers will be needed in some 20 years from now. Of that number, roughly half would be pilots and the rest would be technical personnel.
It takes many years to train and become a qualified line pilot. For aircraft maintenance personnel, the learning curve is shorter. However, it does take time to acquire a remarkable amount of experience.
And that implies many things. Firstly, it will take many years to come close to meeting that challenge.
Secondly, considering the very selective nature of aviation jobs, it will take at least twice or thrice as many candidates before pretending to reach the target of one million qualified workers.
Thirdly, referring to the ethics concern that we covered in a previous Airline Profits edition, it may take even more recruits before identifying worthy candidates who can sustain and preserve a good reputation of the aviation industry.
In recent years, there have been many initiatives by leading aviation bodies, namely ICAO, IATA, ACI, to name a few, to encourage training programs targeted towards the youth. For instance, the support provided to aviation training academies in different parts of the world is undoubtedly a right way forward. The question is: is that enough? Probably not and a lot more work needs to be done.
It is hard to think about airlines without pilots and technical personnel. And likewise, it is hard to think about a world without airlines. That reality is becoming increasingly apparent every day as air transport connects several city pairs around the globe every other minute or hour while contributing to the economic growth in different parts of the world.
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May 17, 2018. Ryanair Hires Another Group of Captains and First Officers. Photo Credit: Ryanair
May 17, 2018. Ryanair Hires Another Group of Captains and First Officers. Photo Credit: Ryanair
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Copyright © 2015-2018 Airline Profits, All Rights Reserved.
Destined for Aviation Leaders and Influencers, Airline Profits is the first aviation magazine devoted to improving airline effectiveness and profitability.
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Destined for Aviation Leaders and Influencers, Airline Profits is the first aviation magazine devoted to improving airline effectiveness and profitability.
ISSN 2368-7800 (Print)
ISSN 2368-7819 (Online)
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ABOUT KOFI SONOKPON
ABOUT KOFI SONOKPON
Managing Editor of Airline Profits, the first aviation magazine devoted to airline effectiveness and profitability, Kofi Sonokpon has nearly 25 years of experience in aviation. Kofi holds an IATA sponsored Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Air Transport Management from the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montreal. An aviation expert and thought-leader, Kofi Sonokpon is also a speaker, trainer and the author of an innovative book series intended for the 21st century airline, namely Airlines for Business and Airlines for Technology. An accredited media delegate to the 39th Triennial Assembly of ICAO, Kofi Sonokpon is the host of Airline Profits Executive Interviews where he discusses various issues and solutions with aviation industry leaders and experts.
Managing Editor of Airline Profits, the first aviation magazine devoted to airline effectiveness and profitability, Kofi Sonokpon has nearly 25 years of experience in aviation. Kofi holds an IATA sponsored Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Air Transport Management from the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montreal. An aviation expert and thought-leader, Kofi Sonokpon is also a speaker, trainer and the author of an innovative book series intended for the 21st century airline, namely Airlines for Business and Airlines for Technology. An accredited media delegate to the 39th Triennial Assembly of ICAO, Kofi Sonokpon is the host of Airline Profits Executive Interviews where he discusses various issues and solutions with aviation industry leaders and experts.
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