New pilots, no flights
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21 March, 2009 – When 21-year-old Namgay left for Australia two years ago to join a flight school, he nurtured high hopes of landing a job with Drukair or some other airline company abroad. But he found himself, on his return, joining an increasing number of unemployed pilots in the country and overseas.
“I’ve had no job for the last nine months and it’s frustrating after my parents invested so much in my training,” said Namgay. He said his 18-month flight course in Australia cost nearly Nu 4.0 million.
There are currently more than five unemployed Bhutanese (fresh) pilots in the country, Kuensel found. There are some more Bhutanese, who are still attending their training programmes overseas. Encouraged by a growing demand for pilots in Asia, including India, Bhutanese parents had invested heavily, mostly through loans, to train their son in numerous flight schools abroad. But the current global recession has brought down with it the aviation industry, rendering hopefuls like Namgay hopeless. “The prospects were good in the aviation industry when I decided to become a pilot, but not anymore,” said a young Bhutanese, fresh out of an United States flight school.
The only commercial airline in Bhutan, Drukair, has enough pilots for the next one to two years and will not increase flights till the market situation improves. Most airline companies abroad have also recently reduced their flight frequency and laid off hundreds of pilots, because of decreasing passengers and high operational costs. One or two of the victims are former Drukair pilots, who had gone to work in India.
Drukair managing director, Tandin Jamtso, said that it is not just the fresh Bhutanese pilots competing for a slot in Drukair but also applicants from abroad. “We received many offers from fresh pilots, especially in India and Europe, who are willing to work at any salary, just to gain experience and hours of flying time,” he said. “It will be very difficult for fresh pilots to get a job. Their employability depends on the number of flying hours they gain.”
In India alone, there are more than 3,000 unemployed commercial pilot license holders as of January 2009, according to Indian aviation news.
One of the concerns among young Bhutanese pilots is that the validity of their licenses might expire even before they are hired. On completion of their training, they are given a license, which in effect helps them find a job. But the validity of the license is for the most part only a year or two. “If he’s not hired within the period, we might have to invest again in license renewal and procuring flying hours,” said a Thimphu businessman, the father of an unemployed pilot.
Tandin Jamtso said that they were looking to recruit one pilot in 2009-10. At present, there are eight captains and 10 co-pilots in Drukair. “We can’t absorb all the fresh Bhutanese pilots now, but we might recruit a fresh pilot after every two to three years,” he said.
By Phuntsho Choden (Kuenselonline)