Ask Captain Lim - What is going on with the airline industry for pilots?

I am 15 and planning to take up Diploma in Aviation at Melbourne, Australia after my studies here in the Philippines. I am an Indian and it's been my dream to fly big jets for Qantas.

I am really confused getting into the aviation industry. Pease watch this video here and explain what's going on.

It says that pilots have to spend $100,000 for their license and gets a really low salary in exchange for something like 40k a year.

Why is it that some pilots don't get good position in their career and neither a good opportunity for promotion? Would it take me more than 10 years of flying small planes before I go to the big ones?

Please help me on this.

Simer

Hi Simer,

I have answered a similar question in "What is the future of the airline industry for pilots?" here. There, you can see the Boeing projection for pilot demand in the Australian region up to the year 2025.

Australia is a fairly saturated market for pilots. There are more pilots there than there are vacancies in the good airlines - one of which is Qantas. So trying to get a job in Qantas is extremely tough. Hence many Australian pilots have left the country for better advancement in Asia and the Middle East. They have a better chance of flying the Airbus A380s if they join, for instance, the Emirates Airlines than staying back in one of the regional airlines in Australia.

Those who don't get a good position or opportunity for career advancement are probably most of those not from the major airlines. Getting a good position in Qantas is very competitive. Qantas mainline pilots are well trained and their salaries are reasonable. Once inside, few pilots would leave the airline. However, the low salary you mentioned is probably the pay for first officers with the regional QantasLink that flies the turbo-prop Dash 8 aircraft. This airline is comprised of three different regional airlines - Airlink, Eastern Australia Airlines and Sunstate Airlines.

If you are an Indian citizen, you may even have problems getting a flying job in Australia. Yes, you can get good flying training there but your prospect of flying, say a Boeing 777 with an Indian carrier, (Kingfisher Airlines) is so much better in India than in Australia.

Whether you would need to fly for 10 years on a small plane before getting to fly the big jets would depend on which airlines you are employed with. Flying opportunities and promotions are cyclical. In bad times it may take even longer. At the moment, the airlines industries in the Middle East are booming. Well, that is the place to go if you have the experience and the qualification!

All the best to your flying dreams!