Career Pilot: China Syndrome
Opportunities abound in growing Chinese airline industry
China seems to have an increased, if not dominant, presence in all things aviation today. The Chinese bigger-than-life profile is making a dramatic impact in the global airline industry, which has provided terrific benefits for pilots—even Americans.
The number of commercial airline trips increased 12 percent in 2016 over 2015, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Analysts predict that China, with a population of 1.4 billion, will surpass the United States as the world’s largest aviation market by 2030. Boeing predicts China will need 7,000 new airplanes, worth $1 trillion, in the next two decades.
All this growth translates to a tremendous need for piloting talent, and the Chinese are waving a carrot to attract aviators—both Chinese nationals and expatriates. Ads from Chinese airlines on recruitment sites offer monthly salaries of more than $25,000 (with tax paid) for captains. One from Chengdu Airlines boasts that it offers the “highest pay in China” at $25,800 a month with a $36,000 bonus for completing a three-year contract. In comparison, the most senior pilots at major U.S. carriers such as United and Delta earn an average monthly salary of $17,400, according to aviation consultant Kit Darby.
“In China, pilots are always in short supply,” said Guo Jing, a spokesperson for Chengdu. “And we offer high salaries because if we don’t, nobody will come.”
Based on Jethro Mullen’s research at CNN, China will need 4,000 to 5,000 pilots every year for the next two decades. Training schools in China aren’t churning out enough pilots to keep up with the industry’s meteoric growth, and there’s an acute shortage of experienced captains.
Several U.S. flight schools have tried to set up shop in China to tap into the training bonanza, with limited success. Other U.S. schools, such as TransPac Aviation Academy in Phoenix, have partnered with Chinese carriers and companies who will train their recruits in the United States.
However, the adventurous CFI could apply to China’s largest flight school, the Civil Aviation Flight University of China (CAFUC). Headquartered in Guanghan City, Sichuan Province, CAFUC covers a total area of 2,636 acres, and owns five airports at its sub-colleges for flight training. CAFUC has more than 16,000 full-time students and 262 airplanes.
Zhù n hao yùn (good luck).
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