“BOOSTED BY THE RECOVERY, THE JOB MARKET FOR AIRLINE PILOTS IS TAKING OFF AGAIN”
The economic daily Les Echos devotes a full page to the resumption of pilot recruitment and to the new charter of the schools, set up by the Syndicat National des Pilotes de Ligne. The article is written by Bruno Trévidic, a journalist specialized in aviation issues, who has already devoted an article to Clair Group after a meeting with our president Charles Clair.
From the outset, the first article in this survey gives confidence to pilots with this optimistic observation: “For the first time in a decade, a window of opportunity seems to have opened for aspiring pilots on a sustained basis. This perspective is explained by the retirement of senior pilots who will have to be replaced, given that they made up a large part of the current pilot population, but also by the enormous growth expected over the next twenty years. According to Boeing, 600,000 pilots will have to be recruited between now and then to cope with the doubling of the world fleet.
Without neglecting the cost of training and the legitimate uncertainties at the start of a career, Thierry Auriol, head of employment and training at the SNPL, confirms that this is the right time to start: “The job market for airline pilots is cyclical, so you have to aim carefully. But the period is rather favourable.
He confirms that low cost airlines are excellent stepping stones to traditional operators who are looking for full flight books. The article looks back at Ryanair’s recent announcement that Astonfly will train its next 500 pilots.
Another witness interviewed for the article dispels some of the preconceived ideas about salaries and career prospects. “At Ryanair, you can hope to become a captain after three years, with a salary of more than 100,000 euros per year, compared to more than 10 years at Air France. The national airline is making fewer promises, as the first hires were those confirmed before the crisis, but it has announced that external recruitment will resume in 2023.
The second article in the dossier presents the new charter of good conduct drawn up by the SNPL for training centres (ATOs). In setting up this charter, the union wanted to protect student pilots following the bankruptcy, in 2021, of a school with opaque and risky management. The signatory schools commit themselves to financial transparency and to limiting advance payments. The full text of the charter, signed by Astonfly, is freely available on our website: http://poyesisdemo.fr/astonfly/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/FR-20220802-Charte-ATO-ASTONFLY-signed.pdf
Charles Clair confirmed in Les Echos these commitments made on behalf of Astonfly. “The SNPL convinced us to sign and we hope that all ATOs will do the same. We have always published our accounts. For the time being, seven of the twenty schools approached by the SNPL have signed.
Sources:
Astonfly press release: https://sh1.sendinblue.com/3h0n41ev24lpfe.html?t=1661176659