Indigo to China Airlines: Worsening pilot shortage sours Asia's travel boom

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An unprecedented travel boom in Asia has spawned new budget carriers and millions of first-time fliers, but a shortage of pilots is threatening to choke that demand.

Bamboo Airways Co. in Vietnam was the latest low-cost carrier to start services this year and more are expected to join the race. In Southeast Asia alone, LCCs have about 1,400 aircraft on order, compared with fewer than 400 for full-service carriers, according to CAPA Centre for Aviation. With the supply of pilots lagging behind, the airlines will struggle to find skilled cockpit crew.

“There’s a real crunch coming,” Peter Harbison, executive chairman of Sydney-based CAPA said in Singapore. “For new airlines, it’s much, much harder and it’s going to be a real struggle.”

Global traffic is set to double in the next two decades with the biggest increase expected in the Asia-Pacific region, where almost 4 billion passenger journeys are expected, according to the International Air Transport Association. Boeing Co. forecasts the region needs 16,930 new planes and about 261,000 pilots through 2037. That means the current fleets and the number of pilots will need to double during that period, according to the planemaker.

The strain is already showing. IndiGo, Asia’s biggest budget carrier by market value, last month decided to scrap dozens of flights every day through March after many of its pilots exhausted their annual limit on flying hours. Taiwan’s China Airlines Ltd. averted a crisis this month by agreeing to improve working conditions at an annual cost of almost $4 million after the pilots union, citing fatigue among other complaints, went on a seven-day strike.


 Even some outside Asia are running into problems: Emirates, the world’s biggest long-haul airline, said in April that a shortage of pilots forced it to cut flights...Read More

Vistara to raise frequency on existing domestic routes, says Leslie Thng

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Vistara, joint venture of Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, is to raise its frequency on existing domestic routes, besides adding one or two destinations, Chief Executive Leslie Thng said.

It began flying in January 2015 and operates 130 daily flights, with 22 aircraft. Thng said they were aiming at double-digit capacity growth and would add six to 10 of Airbus’ A320neo planes in 2019. Deliveries will begin from the second half of the year. There is no plan to take more aircraft on lease.

The airline has 56 planes on order — 50 of Airbus (A320s and A321neos) and six of the Boeing 787-9s. It will induct the Boeing planes from the first quarter of 2020 and has begun training its pilots for this.

ALSO READ: Govt committee to decide if Vistara should get foreign flying permit


 “We are still waiting for final approval for international operations,” said the chief executive. The airline was originally aiming to ply abroad from the end of 2018. Government rules require an airline to have a minimum of 20 planes before this could be allowed. Vistara became eligible last year and had applied the civil aviation ministry in June, with a plan for flights to Bangkok, Phuket, Colombo and Male by the winter schedule of 2018...Read More