Lack of pilots worries countries and should affect Brazil – 7/1/2023 – Market

A pilot’s career takes off. Between the butterflies in your stomach on your first flight and the stability of a job contract with an airline, you usually need to accumulate more than 500 hours of practice, each of which costs more than R$700 for the student.

As relatively few professionals manage to reach this level, the airline market is experiencing a shortage of pilots, especially in countries like the United States, Turkey and Qatar.

To solve the problem, companies in these countries are recruiting more employees in places like Brazil. As a result, industry professionals estimate that the lack of professionals around here will become stronger in one or two years.

“To go to work in the USA, one of the requirements is a letter that the pilot is affiliated with a class entity. Before the pandemic, I signed four of these letters a month. Today I sign about ten a week”, comments Henrique Hacklaender, president of the SNA (National Union of Aeronauts).

Remuneration and better living conditions abroad are the main attractions. “If we convert it, a pilot’s salary in Brazil starts at around US$ 2,000 and goes up to US$ 10,000. Abroad, the starting salary already starts at around US$ 8,000 to US$ 10,000”, he compares Hacklaender.

For airlines, finding pilots already qualified for large aircraft is an advantage. Normally, it takes an extra six months to obtain authorization to fly a model such as an Airbus A320 or Boeing 737, which carry hundreds of people per trip.

Large companies usually pay for this specific training for each aircraft, but they are expensive and done abroad. An already qualified candidate can go into operation in less time, solving the pilot shortage problem more quickly.

The shortage of flight commanders is one of the consequences of the pandemic. At the beginning of the crisis, airlines suspended thousands of flights and it was not known when things would return to normal. In this scenario, many professionals were dismissed. However, the resumption came strongly from 2021 onwards, and companies had to rush to recompose the teams.

In the US, there was an additional issue: there, pilots must retire at age 65. As Covid puts older people at greater risk, several companies offered early retirement to those over 60. When the air market reheated, many did not want to return. In response, the US government relaxed some of the rules required for pilots and sought to facilitate the arrival of foreigners.

“In the US and around the world, companies are still facing staffing issues. Traditionally you have a challenge with pilots, engineers and mechanics, but now there are also stewards and ground crews”, evaluates Peter Cerdá, Vice President from IATA (International Air Transport Association) to the Americas.

“The issue in Latin America was less during the pandemic, but with China reopening – and India and Indonesia becoming major markets – we have a risk that Chinese and Middle Eastern companies will offer jobs in Latin America, which that will put the region at a disadvantage, given the benefits offered by them”, completes Cerdá.

To escape the problem, foreign companies began to fund the training of pilots. Turkish Airlines has invested US$15 million in new training facilities in Istanbul, which include 32 simulators. “This year we hired 600 pilots. Our schools manage to train 200 pilots a year, and others in Turkey manage to train around 450 a year. We have plans to increase this total number to a thousand”, says Ahmet Bolat, chairman of the board of the Turkish company.

The pandemic also delayed the training of professionals: on the one hand, there were fewer flights available for young pilots to participate. On the other hand, the economic crisis increased the cost of airtime and many candidates were unsure about investing in training or with less money.

In Brazil, basic training for a commercial pilot can cost more than BRL 200,000, when adding flight hours, theoretical courses and tests. Each hour of flight costs from R$ 750 to R$ 2,000.

“A regular airline requires at least 500 flight hours to hire. The pilot has already paid for almost 200 hours to obtain commercial pilot certification and will hardly be able to afford another 300”, comments Hacklaender.

Thus, to complete these hundreds of hours, aspirants end up looking for alternatives, such as flying in planes of acquaintances, doing agricultural spraying work or becoming instructors.

“You pay very little to the instructor, around 30 reais an hour. And the guy joins a line: the schools train 200 instructors a year, but there are four, five places to work”, comments Alysson Soares, business coordinator at Minetoo , a company that offers trips in private jets contracted by application.

Thus, reaching 500 hours can take from six months to more than two years, depending on the pilot’s financial capacity, the time he has to dedicate and even meteorological issues. A rainy season can prevent flights for several days, for example.

It is also necessary to demonstrate ability, to carry out various missions throughout training. When you fail in any of them, you have to repeat the flight and pay more hours. “If the guy can only afford one or two hours a month and doesn’t fly for a long time, he may end up losing practice and delaying the process even more”, comments Soares.

Minetoo has created a program for young people who are at this stage. The recent graduates act as second pilots on the company’s flights, and can command the aircraft on journeys without passengers, such as when the plane needs to be brought back empty to the base. They don’t get paid for their work, because they’re still learning, but they don’t pay by the hours. There is an allowance to cover accommodation and food on long trips.

“Real life is totally different from the flying club. It’s the same thing as leaving the driving school and facing traffic. You feel everything in practice”, comments Christian Cattoni, 22, one of the pilots in training who are part of the program.

Born in Barueri, in Greater São Paulo, Cattoni began training as a pilot at the age of 18. Its longest flight so far was from São Paulo to João Pessoa, in Paraíba. In his trajectory, he saw many people give up.

“PP course [piloto privado] The one I did started with 50 people and ended with 30. Of those 30, ten took the Anac test and only five are still flying”, he comments.

Cattoni, who liked to go see planes since he was a child, wants to become a pilot of executive jets. He reckons it will take another ten years to get there. It will be the time needed to accumulate flight hours, certificates and be able to compete for a place in the market.

“From the amount of résumés we receive, there is no shortage of pilots. There is a shortage of qualified pilots, who have the necessary skills”, says Alysson, from Minetoo. “The guy needs to be good with his arm.”