Top 4 programs aimed at retaining cargo pilots

[caption id="attachment_64597" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Credit: Captain Mehrdad Chamlou[/caption] In recent years, the aviation and logistics industries have become increasingly concerned about a scarcity of one of the major ingredients that oils the flow of the supply chain, the essential human resource fueling international transportation of goods: the pilots themselves. The growing shortage is being caused by a combination of factors. One major catalyst was the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 in 2009, which caused the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to raise the flying hours required from a commercial pilot’s license of 250 to an airline transport pilot license (ATP) of 1,500. The huge increase in the cost to obtain a the proper licensing caused the number of aspiring pilots to shrink, which was first felt first by smaller airlines, but has begun to affect even the biggest carriers. The problem is being exacerbated by a retiring generation of senior pilots and in increase an the popularity of express e-commerce traffic. This month, Air Cargo World sought to explore what some of the industry’s major carriers are doing to address the shortage to keep up with the continued strong demand for airfreight. Click through our list to find out what FedEx, UPS, Atlas and Emirates have done to broach the issue. FedEx’s Purple Runway The launch of FedEx’s pilot training program, called Purple Runway , sparked the attention of the aviation industry as one potential answer to the growing concern surrounding an impending pilot shortage. CEO and founder Fred Smith called it a “pipeline of pilots for us [FedEx] and the industry at large.” The program aims to provide aid for aspiring pilots to meet the expensive and time-consuming 1,500-hour flight-time requirement to gain a commercial pilot’s license. That hump is seen as one major inhibition preventing would-be pilots from pursuing the career path. Air Cargo World talked to CEO of Empire Airlines Tim Komberec – one of the carriers working in conjunction with FedEx on the program – to check in on the progress made since the Purple Runway’s launch in early April. “I think Purple Runway is definitely gaining some traction,” Komberec said. “There’s a lot of interest in it, but it’s a matter of finding people that are qualified… there has been a huge effort made by our recruiters and FedEx, including their senior executives going out and talking to universities and colleges and private schools about the Purple Runway.” Right now, it appears that the program is still in the stages of securing recruits from the pool of students. At present, program representatives are presenting at institutions like Embry-Riddle, so it seems it will take longer to see more tangible results. UPS’ FlightPath In June, UPS launched its own pilot training program, called FlightPath, which aims to offer “newer pilots a defined career path to a job with a major carrier . ” “We recognize there is a looming pilot shortage in the industry, although at UPS we aren’t seeing that shortage directly, since it’s one of the premier jobs in the industry. We have thousands of resumes on file from applicants for a job with UPS,” the company told Air Cargo World . “To support the industry, we have launched the UPS FlightPath program, which offers newer pilots a defined career path to a job with a major carrier.” Both former UPS flight interns and current pilots at Dallas-based cargo carrier Ameriflight are eligible for the program; UPS utilizes the airline’s North America-based network to service its “smaller-volume” destinations. At the end of the program, which takes 30 to 36 months, pilots are eligible for an interview with UPS. “While we don’t guarantee a position, the FlightPath program is an important ‘foot in the door’ to being hired by UPS,” the company said. In mid-September of this year , UPS had hired 175 pilots so far in 2018, according to the integrator, and planned to hire nearly 100 more. Atlas Air Earlier this month , New York-based Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings (AAWW), Inc. launched an arrangement to offer its pilots a “guarantee” for qualified candidates to interview for pilot positions at under the AAWW umbrella. The agreement serves as a feeder program to channel qualified pilots at the same Dallas-based all cargo carrier that recently partnered with UPS, Ameriflight, into the seats of Atlas’ narrow- and wide-body aircraft at its subsidiary carriers Atlas Air and Southern Air. Once participants have undergone Atlas’ airline transport pilot certification training (ATP/CTP) program they will then be qualified for a 747 or 737 on Atlas or Southern Air, respectively. Ameriflight CEO Paul Chase stated that the partnership will make Ameriflight “the nation’s top place for pilots to become professional, major-airline-ready aviators.” The Teamsters Local 1224 union, which supports Atlas Air’s pilots, said that Atlas is especially susceptible to the pilot shortage due to working conditions at the airline. It released survey five days following the announcement of Atlas’ new deal with Ameriflight that speaks to such claims. Emirates Pilot Roadshow Even Emirates SkyCargo, which calls itself the largest international airline cargo operator in the world, is not immune to the pilot shortage. “We’re a tad short in pilots, but should be alright by September or October,” Emirates president Tim Clark at a press conference in April in Hamburg, Germany. A lack of 100 to 150 pilots meant Emirates had to reduce frequencies. Affected routes included its connections from its Dubai hub to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, later reducing routes to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, London Heathrow, Munich, Oslo and Phuket. In June, it announced a tour of the United States, the “Emirates Pilot Roadshow” with stops in Houston, Fort Lauderdale, Boston and Seattle to recruit first officers, direct-entry captains and less-experienced pilots for its national cadet pilot program to work from Dubai. Unlike programs like the aforementioned FedEx Purple Runway program , Emirates’ program makes no promises to train candidates, instead, appealing to pilots that are already qualified with a list of benefits, including paid housing and “pick up and drop off” to and from the airport. Emirates did not wish to participate in an interview with Air Cargo World , so there is no clear answer to whether or not Clark’s forecast for an improved pilot count by October has panned out. -->

Top 4 programs aimed at retaining cargo pilots

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