Flight schools respond to BALPA statement

摘要

In November, the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) made an unprecedented statement when it issued a stark warning to prospective aviators not to embark on pilot training courses "for the foreseeable future". BALPA, which represents UK-based flight crews, said the decision was made to avoid anyone paying in excess of £100,000, only to find there are no jobs available once training is complete. Justifying its advice, the union said there are currently 10,000 unemployed commercial pilots across Europe, including 1,600 in the UK, and that there will be "no meaningful recruitment for the next two years". In response, a group of leading European flight schools joined forces and are seeking to counter BALPA's comments. Airliner World's online platform, Key.Aero, spoke to four flight schools - FTA Global, FTEJerez, Skyborne Airline Academy and VA Airline Training - to find out why they feel very differently.