Shenzhen Airlines, a leading private airline in China, has
recruited 40 pilots from Brazil, and most of them previously worked
for Varig, Brazil's bankrupt national airline, Beijing Daily
said Tuesday.
This is the largest number of foreign pilots ever recruited by a
Chinese airline at one go.
Eighteen of the pilots have already arrived in China, and the
others will come soon, sources with the Shenzhen Airlines said.
After two decades of dynamic growth, China has become one of the
largest aviation markets in the world. And it is still growing.
According to forecasts, the country will have 1,250 passenger
aircraft by 2010, up 80 percent on today's figure. If the
prediction is accurate, China will need 6,500 new pilots, far
beyond the capacity of the country's pilot training system.
Faced with an acute shortage of pilots, many Chinese airlines
are looking for pilots overseas. Shenzhen Airlines alone has
recruited nearly 60 pilots from Brazil, Russia, the US and other
countries.
The report said Shenzhen Airlines officials went to Brazil two
months ago to recruit pilots there. Most of the 40 pilots they
recruited are experienced.
The 18 pilots who are already in China have received their
licenses from Chinese authorities and are currently taking Chinese
language courses, the report said.
Shenzhen Airlines was founded in 1992. It has a fleet of 32
Boeing and three Airbus planes. According to its website, it
employs 5,100 people and flies 80 domestic and international
routes.
(Xinhua News Agency August 8, 2006)
