The profession of a pilot may be one of the most attractive in the world, but the shortage of pilots is at an all-time high. Aviation is estimated to need around 320,000 pilots over the next decade or it will be difficult for airlines to increase capacity to meet increased travel demand. A problem that existed before planes were halted due to the pandemic escalated as the coronavirus began to pose a threat to global health. To cope with the unsustainable cost of near-zero air transport, airlines have begun layoffs and layoffs. For example, in 2020, approximately 2,235 pilots participated in Delta’s voluntary separation program, with the corresponding number of American Airlines pilots exceeding 5,000.

But due to a dynamic recovery in travel demand, airlines are unable to fill pilot vacancies. The problem is exacerbated by high tuition fees, which make it expensive to qualify as a pilot, with an “entry ticket” in this particular market of around €60,000. But the venture is bearing fruit as it is estimated that a pilot’s gross annual earnings start at €130,000–€140,000 and vary depending on whether he is captain or co-pilot.

Having invested in creating its own staff, which also includes foreign pilots, Aegean decided to create on El. Venizelos”, which will be the first in Greece. In other words, with a €36 million investment, Aegean, together with Canada’s CAE group, which specializes in the development of flight simulation technology and equipment, will complete the first phase of the training center at Spata Airport by December. This will include four flight simulators, including two Airbus A320neos, a Boeing 737NG and an ATR 72-600, as well as flight attendant training equipment. At the second stage, three additional simulators will be installed. In total, seven such machines will operate, with the help of which pilots will be trained in various flight scenarios of medium, medium and very high complexity.

Up to 3,500 pilots per year and many times more flight attendants will be trained.

Last week, “K” was in the CAE-owned training center in Madrid, which includes, in addition to flight simulators, special areas for training crews in adverse conditions (for example, fire, smoke in the cabin, etc.). Simulators work around the clock and therefore, in its full development, the center at El. Venizelos will be able to provide 42,000 hours of training, training up to 3,500 pilots per year and a few flight attendants. The Aegean and CAE Flight Simulator and Crew Training Center will use clean energy to operate, which will be generated at the 35,000 m2 facility. photovoltaic panels with a capacity of 3 MW or 4.4 GWh per year, which will be installed at Aegean’s new technical base, with a total area of ​​85,000 square meters. Work has already begun on the modernization of the buildings of the new technical base.

What are the benefits of the €36M project, which is part of a larger €140M investment by Aegean to create Greece’s first state-of-the-art Air Transport Ancillary Services Ecosystem?

“The biggest benefit is that we will improve the quality of training of our new generation of pilots, to whom we can instill our culture and philosophy. We will have the opportunity in Athens, and not, for example, in Frankfurt or Munich (ss: where the training centers operate), to interact with the trainees, to ask them what they learned from the training process. At the same time, training will become more efficient and productive, and we will have the opportunity to carry out the process when we deem it necessary,” explains Aegean CEO Dimitris Geroyannis to K. In the ecosystem that Aegean is creating and of which the training center is a part, aircraft maintenance will be provided with the development and gradual staffing of the technical base, with a final capacity of up to 10 positions for overhaul, repair and inspection for various types of aircraft. This will include the already existing Olympic Air engineering training school, as well as the already existing pilot training organization Aegean.

However, in addition to the training center, Aegean has been trying to establish its own pilot nursery for several years now, running a pilot training scholarship program since 2018, with a total tuition fee of up to 90,000 euros.

In the cabins of the first 70 scholarship program captains

“As part of the first scholarship program in 2021-2022, the first 70 graduates began working as pilots. A second program is now underway, which will bring 120 more people to our cabins over the next three years,” explains Aegean CEO. There are two ways to become a pilot. Study either at the Ikaron school or at a private school in and outside Greece, such as Egnatia Aviation in Kavala and Global Aviation in Athens, with which Aegean cooperates. Through a program of 13 theoretical courses and many hours of flight time in single-engine and twin-engine aircraft, as well as flight simulators, students prepare for the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) exams.

It costs around €60,000 to complete a basic degree, while it is estimated that another €20,000 is required for aircraft training that airlines do before choosing who to hire.

Increasing demand

This year’s summer season is expected to confirm Aegean’s strategy, which includes investment not only in new aircraft, but also in personnel. “Everything indicates that the performance will be positive, if there are no unforeseen events,” estimates Dimitris Geroyannis. Demand for travel, he said, has increased since the start of the pandemic, so people are getting more experience.

According to data from Eurocontrol, in the period up to July 2, the number of flights at Greek airports will increase from 5% to 20% compared to last year, when they exceeded 2019 levels. traffic has already exceeded the figure of 2019.