CTC recruits flight instructors and prepares for growth

CTC Aviation Training (NZ) Limited is growing its flight instructor team by 36%. It will increase the number of instructors based at its Crew Training Centre-Hamilton from 33 to 52 by August 2011.

CTC Aviation Training CEO, Ian Calvert, says the airline pilot training academy is building up its resources in preparation for an influx of trainees later this year.

“CTC is currently in negotiations with major airlines in Asia, the Middle East and Europe who are all signalling a huge demand for pilots in both the short- and long-term. We currently train around 180 airline pilots in Hamilton each year. However, we estimate one year from now that number will rise to between 250 and 300.

“We need to prepare now by building our instructor team. That way we can continue to have the capacity to meet our airline partners’ demands,” explains Mr Calvert.

Approximately 10 of the new instructors are currently being recruited from within New Zealand and four will be licensed Joint Aviation Authority (JAA) instructors recruited from the UK.

Mr Calvert said three key factors were putting pressure on airlines worldwide and resulting in increased demand for CTC graduates: large aircraft orders, increasing passenger numbers in Asia and the aging pilot population.

“Airlines in the Pacific, Chinese and Middle Eastern regions are placing huge orders for aircraft, all of which need crews to fly them.

As one example, our senior team attended the Asia Pacific Aviation Training Symposium in Hong Kong in March. It was announced there that the region will require at least 50,000 additional pilots over the coming years to meet the requirements of current aircraft orders.

“A further factor affecting pilot demand is the growth in passenger numbers across India, China and Vietnam.

“And finally, over the next two to seven years the industry is signalling that we will see a dramatic increase in the number of airline pilots retiring due to age, thus creating a retirement bulge,” says Mr Calvert.

Mr Calvert said New Zealand was in a unique space to benefit from the demand for airline pilots.
“Having a New Zealand base is a major advantage for CTC. Geographically speaking, we are well positioned to support the growing Asian market and our climate is well suited to help prepare our international trainees for their future flying environment.

“New Zealand is a safe country for trainees to live and work and many see the opportunity to spend some time here while completing their flight training as an added bonus. Plus, CTC’s unwavering commitment to producing the highest quality airline pilots is highly respected by the major airlines with whom we work closely.

“CTC is one of the world’s leading airline pilot training providers and we’re ready to leverage our leadership to capitalise on this emerging growth opportunity,” he says.

CTC trains between 1200 -1900 aircrew for more than 50 global airlines each year. In addition to its crew training centre in Hamilton, New Zealand, it has further centres in Bournemouth, Nursling and Dibden in the UK.