China Airlines signs up new pilots from Belgium

Nine of the 80 professional civilian aircraft pilots who entered a China Airlines Co (華航) pilot recruitment program have been signed up by China Airlines to join Taiwan's largest air carrier.

Three of the nine newly signed pilots will report to China Airlines headquarters and start work immediately, while the remaining six are expected to begin work as China Airlines pilots in January 2003.

A six-member China Airlines management team arrived in Brussels last week to recruit new pilots from Belgium, where the Belgian airline Sabena has recently closed down, leaving at least 350 pilots on government relief.

In cooperation with the Belgian Air Pilots Association, China Airlines conducted a simulation flight test in Brussels last Thursday, allowing 24 of the 80 entrants to take part.

According to Pierre Ghyoot, chairman of the Belgian Air Pilots Association, China Airlines's Canadian manager, Captain Martin, is the chief of the China Airlines recruit team, which selected 24 of the 80 licensed civilian aircraft pilots from Sabena to take the test.

CAL has fired about one-tenth of its entire group of pilots over the past year since Martin joined China Airlines.

Ghyoot said the recruitment of former Sabena pilots will help China Airlines a lot, particularly since China Airlines's reputation has been severely tarnished in the wake of a spate of accidents over the last several years, as most of the Sabena pilots are well-trained veterans with good flight records.

Sabena has a zero crash and accident record over its 70-year history. The company closed down late last year after having operated in the red for years, and after the collapse of Swiss Air, the largest Sabena shareholder.