The aviation industry is amidst a global pilot shortage from which Australia is not spared. Regional aviation is the hardest hit as many local and international airlines actively poach pilots from Australia’s regional airlines to fill their own shortages.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Even QantasLink is not immune to this as can be seen by the numerous media articles and releases by the former on its cancellations due to the pilot shortage.
Rex is the only major carrier in Australia that has proactively tried to resolve this problem by starting a state-of-the-art pilot academy – Australian Airline Pilot Academy (AAPA) – 10 years ago with over $35 M of investment. Since then, AAPA has trained over 220 cadets for Rex.
Whilst Rex’s initiative is successful in responding to natural attrition rates, it is not enough to stave off Qantas and Virgin Australia’s rapacious plundering of Rex’s pilot pool instead of using their not inconsiderable resources to train their own pilots.
In the past two years, these two airlines collectively have poached 17% and 56% of Rex’s First Officer and Captain establishment respectively. These two airlines are causing widespread chaos and disruptions to regional air travel by their selfish and irresponsible actions.
Because of the critical pilot shortage, Rex is not able to have its usual contingent of stand-by pilots rostered for duty. Consequently, any last-minute sick leave may result in flights being cancelled or combined with other routes.
However, Rex’s cancellation rate of 1.29% is still significantly lower than the cancellation rate of QantasLink 2.39% and Virgin Australia Regional 2.74%.
Rex is acutely aware of the effect that flight disruptions have on travel plans and apologises for all past and potential future disruption to services throughout the network as a result of the industry-wide global pilot shortage. We thank the regional communities in advance for their support, understanding and indulgence in this difficult period. We promise that we will redouble our efforts in pursuing all options for pilot recruitment, including overseas recruitment. We will also be reviewing our network with a view to trimming our schedule where possible to conserve resources.
Neville Howell
Chief Operating Officer, Rex
Learning the lessons of history
History is something that politicians and schools should learn about and nothing has changed in regards to governments. In the early years of 1882, after drought which affected New South Wales and Victoria and the need for water for conservation, a Royal Commission was appointed and nothing came of it.
The long neglected water rights bill of ten years was introduced into parliament on November 13 1895. Comments in the Sydney Morning Herald pointed out that to our legislators the value of irrigation and water conversation as a means of minimising the terrible effects of prolonged drought.
The water act of 1905 stated the waters of the western rivers are a great public resource which must be placed under public control. It is time to think about reinvesting in water to drought proof the inland country towns. We have not learnt from our past experience that drought has a recurrence every few years. Build more dams to stop the heartache of watching animals and wildlife die of thirst.
Fran Pietroboni, Griffith
