TAA, BAC sign deal to secure pilot supply

MoU ensures steady flow of cockpit staff

Thai AirAsia (TAA) has secured a commitment from Bangkok Aviation Center Plc (BAC) to deliver new pilots, in a move that will ensure the country’s biggest budget carrier will not face a shortage of pilots in the future.

The memorandum of understanding inked yesterday calls for BAC, Thailand’s largest pilot training school, to supply 70 commercial airline pilots a year to TAA.

The targeted number will largely match the airline’s incremental pilot demand, which stands at around 50 per year based on the airline’s plan to add five A320 jets each year to its fleet, which currently stands at 43 aircraft and is slated to reach 45 by the year-end, said TAA chief executive Tassapon Bijleveld.

The collaboration assures TAA a steady flow of Thai pilots, whose demand is outstripping supply in light of the fledgling Thai airline industry and migration to foreign carriers.

The partnership with BAC will reduce the need for TAA to compete with other airlines in recruiting pilots by offering higher pay and perks, which some airline executives brand as “stealing”.

BAC chief executive Piya Tregalnon did not say how many more pilots will be needed by Thai airlines.

But he cited forecasts by the world’s two largest aircraft makers, Airbus and Boeing, which suggest that airlines worldwide would need 450,000 new pilots over the next 15 years in tandem with some 20,000 new aircraft taking to the skies over the same period.

However, only 90,000 pilots would be produced over the period, leading to a severe shortage.

Thailand can only produce 200 commercial airline pilots a year, with 180 trained by BAC.

In fact, the TAA-BAC accord cements a loose agreement that has been in place over the past 11 years, with up to 40% of the airline’s cockpit staff being BAC graduates.

TAA currently has 450 pilots, comprising 206 captains and 244 first officers.

Capt Piya said Thailand had high potential to produce pilots for the global airline industry.

BAC, which has to date trained 815 pilots, targets to produce more internationally accepted pilots and turn them into one of Thailand’s major exports.

A Thai pilot can earn an average of 6 million baht a year, and assuming that they can grab only 10% of the market for new pilots over the next 15 years, they could contribute some 270 billion baht a year to the Thai economy, he added.

Meanwhile, the TAA chief executive ruled out any impact on the airline’s business from China’s stock market turmoil, saying most of TAA’s Chinese passengers are from the mainland’s second-tier cities who mostly do not engage in stock trading.

“The situation is under control and it is business as usual for us,” said Mr Tassapon, adding that TAA is on course to carry 1.5 million Chinese passengers this year.