Faced with a shortage of local pilots, aviation industry officials, advocates and representatives of civil airlines yesterday jointly called for the establishment of a program to train pilots, with the airlines and the trainees sharing part of the expenses.
Shieh Chung-gang (
On average, a company has to spend NT$7 million (US$212,121) to NT$8 million to train a pilot, he said.
These expenses include the costs of attending aviation schools overseas, acquiring license certifications and real-time flight training.
However, most of the airline companies have found from experience that the percentage of those who fail these training courses is high, he said.
"We suggest that the civil airlines and the association form a joint review committee to choose qualified personnel for pilot training," Shieh said. "The association will then assist him or her in acquiring loans, which can be provided by banks or the China Aviation Development Foundation."
The airlines will still have to provide approximately two-thirds of the training expenses, he said.
The suggestion was proposed at a seminar hosted by the People First Party legislators Liu Wen-hsiung (
Officials from the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) were also present at the event.
Representatives from Mandarin Airlines, China Airlines, EVA Air and Uni Air cited other factors behind the pilot shortage.
Nearly all domestic carriers have been hurt by the competition from the high speed rail, they said, adding that because of the devaluation of the NT dollar, foreign pilots are in general paid more than domestic pilots.
The airlines also lamented the lack of progress in opening direct links. In light of the uncertainty regarding this policy, the airlines said they had to be cautious about drastically increasing the number of pilots.
A majority of the nation's pilots are retired Air Force officers. The Air Force, however, has expressed concern about retired officers going on to become commercial airline pilots.
Yu Yi-shi (
The CAA does not operate a pilot school, he said, adding that it is only in charge of certifying the legality and qualifications of the training center.
Liu, however, addressed the urgency of training more pilots.
Criticizing the airlines' refusal to invest in pilot training, he reminded them that they "cannot wait for the full opening of the market in China and start training pilots then."
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
RSS