On Thursday, 22 February, Qantas announced it is planning to establish a pilot academy, in order to help meet the increasing need for skilled aviators in the industry.

The Qantas Group Pilot Academy is to be launched during 2019, with an initial investment of up to $20 million to establish the new facility, and is “likely to be established near an existing airfield in regional Australia to provide easy access to uncongested airspace,” says the airline in a statement.

It is estimated that the academy will initially train around 100 pilots a year for direct entry into the Qantas Group, including Jetstar and regional carrier, QantasLink. And depending on demand from other parts of the aviation industry, this could grow to 500 pilots a year on a fee-for-service basis.

Appreciative of Qantas’ pilots, Alan Joyce, Qantas Group CEO said the airline “has a proud history of having some of the best pilots in the world and we want to make sure it stays that way. By creating our own academy, we can train the next generation of pilots to the Qantas Group standard.”

According Joyce, the increase in demand for skilled pilots is real: “Boeing estimates the world will need about 640,000 more pilots in the next 20 years, with 40 per cent in the Asia Pacific region. That level of demand makes the academy important not just for Qantas but for Australian aviation more broadly so that all parts of the industry have access to qualified pilots in a country that relies so heavily on air transport,” adding that over time, the academy “could train pilots for other airlines and grow into the largest academy of its kind in the southern hemisphere.”

Joyce also added, “addressing the chronic gender imbalance among pilots – with a global average of 97 percent males in the profession – would be key to meeting market demand,” reads the statement.

High school and university graduates with strong academic performance will be able to enter the academy. The students will undergo up to 18 months of classroom, simulator and real-world flight training. Before entering service as a First Officer on turboprop aircraft, sitting next to an experienced Captain, the “fresh” pilots will receive training on the specific type of aircraft they will be flying.

Aspiring pilots wishing to find out more about the academy can visit here.