Cape Town – South African pilots are reportedly seeking better opportunities in the United States (US), where shortages in piloting skills have them searching for talent outside of that country.
The global aviation industry is still in the process of recovery after it was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. It lead to international travel being halted, airlines being grounded and companies having to release some of their staff.
Bloomberg reported in 2020 that an estimated 400 000 airline workers were fired, furloughed or told they could lose their jobs due to the coronavirus.
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics passenger airlines in the US scrapped another 10 000 employees by the end of 2021.
According to Business Insider, the lifting of travel restrictions earlier in the year caught many airlines off-guard, due to to the rapid filling up of flights. US airlines found difficulty in filling the gap left by mass retrenchments caused by the pandemic.
Shortage in staff has caused these airlines to cancel thousands of flights this year, the report said.
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The aviation sector in South Africa also found itself affected drastically by the pandemic, with many local carriers unable to survive its effects.
This in turn led to many South African pilots losing their places in the workforce.
Stefano Migliore, the managing partner of the South African office of multinational law firm Harvey Law Group (HLG), said that South African pilots were now looking past the shores of South Africa for job opportunities.
“There are many exceptional pilots in South Africa right now who are looking beyond our borders to find employment.
“Pilots often don’t recognise the aspects of their professional history and training that would be considered above average by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. We do,” the report quoted Migliore as sayinng.
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“We know the process very well and how to interpret the US requirements to create a winning application,” he added.
Business Insider further reported that Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, said that many pilots were being lured away from the country.
“In our case, we have seen many of our well-trained and experienced aviators being lured away from South Africa to jobs and opportunities in countries that are offering much better remuneration.
“The aftermath of the Covid-19 outbreak will only serve to intensify the competition for limited scarce and critical skills. It is critical, therefore, to plan ahead for such a reality, as this may compromise our country’s sterling record in relation to upholding civil aviation safety and security,” Mbalula said.
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Compiled by Junaid Benjamin
