Cathay Pacific Airways has ratcheted up both its recruitment drive for pilots and its cadet scheme to help alleviate an estimated worldwide shortage of 3,600 pilots a year amid the soaring global aviation industry.
The Hong Kong-based airline plans to hire about 1,860 aircrew staff this year - including 270 pilots, 1,300 cabin crew, and 290 airport staff - to handle its 50 extra aircraft over the next five years.

So far, 220 pilots have been recruited, a spokeswoman said, adding the company is confident it can find the remaining 50 pilots.

She said pilots are recruited worldwide, but need further in-house training to become familiar with Hong Kong aviation requirements.

In recent years, women have made inroads into the cockpit, with 50 of them currently among the 2,375 pilots employed by Cathay Pacific.

The International Air Transport Association said there is a global shortage of 3,600 pilots per year. Its main concern is the inadequate training capacity.

IATA said there will be 17,650 new aircraft by 2018 that will require 207,000 pilots. To meet this figure, there is a need for at least 18,800 pilots annually, but the maximum that can now be trained is 15,200 a year. IATA said if there is no improvement, there will be a shortfall of 39,600 by 2018.

"The gap between pilot demand and capacity differs significantly by region due to the high demand in emerging markets generated by stronger traffic growth and insufficient local training capacity," an IATA sp
okesman said.

IATA said airlines are responding by relaxing training standards and experience requirements for pilots - a trend monitored for safety implications.

To train more new blood, Cathay Pacific has sent 41 local youngsters to the Adelaide Flight Training Center in Australia under the company's Cadet Pilot Program. The 60-day course, costing about HK$1 million for each cadet, includes theory and simulator training.

The last batch of 12 trainees arrived at the center a week ago, one of whom is a young woman formerly with the Government Flying Service.

Cathay Pacific launched its cadet program in 1988, training more than 200 to date. Candidates need to be permanent Hong Kong residents, aged 18 or over, and stand over 1.6 meters tall, with good command of English, good eyesight, and good health.