Austrian Airlines’ pilot shortage sees 300 flights cancelled over July and August

With a current worldwide shortage of type-trained pilots, Austrian Airlines has become the latest airline to succumb to shortages, this time as a result of a shortage of Embraer E-195-trained pilots. However, with these planes being used more for regional flights, the 300 proposed flight cancellations throughout July and August will not affect the airline’s long-haul routes or charter flights.
The routes highest hit will be those which are typically flown several times a day where the number of daily flights will be reduced. Destinations affected will include Bucharest in Romania, Prague in the Czech Republic, Sofia in Bulgaria, and Zagreb in Croatia. In a statement made on July 1, CEO Kate Kratsky made it clear that “Austrian Airlines has always stood for punctuality and reliability. In order to live up to this reputation, we have decided to streamline our summer flight schedule.”
While Austrian Airlines, a subsidiary of Lufthansa, employs approximately 1,000 pilots, has hired 110 over the last 12 months, and intends to hire a further 70 by year end, the problem lies with approximately 100 pilots who cannot yet be deployed owing to elaborate training requirements. As part of the collective wage agreement, training must be carried out over a period of three to six months and the airline does not have the necessary standby reserves to cover short-term availability problems.
According to the Financial times, there is no shortage of actual pilots and indeed there are many who are actively seeking work. However, many airlines prefer to recruit from major pilot training schools, such as CTC Aviation and CAE Oxford Aviation Academy, which train pilots through an integrated course that typically takes 18 months. Those who train part-time struggle to get plane type-training owing to the additional cost involved, and a number of airlines will only recruit experienced pilots. The worldwide shortage of pilots being talked about relates purely to type-trained and experienced pilots.
Captain Martin Chalk, president of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations, is concerned that becoming a pilot has lost its “pull factor”. He is of the opinion that being a pilot was once a career that lured people with the promise of global travel and high pay, but the rise of low-cost carriers and greater competition has reduced average salaries while training costs have stayed high. He also indicated that pilots at the start of their careers can in effect earn below the minimum wage once loan repayments and tax are taken into account. A trainee can accrue debts of between US$90,000 and US$130,000 when paying the costs of obtaining a commercial pilot’s license.