Captain David Morgan: Air NZ Chief Operational Integrity and Safety Officer on the airline launching a new pilot training program

The sky's the limit for aspiring pilots, as Air New Zealand launches their Mangōpare Pilot Cadetship scheme.

The program is open to applications - and will fast-track the journey from becoming a commercial pilot from 24-36 months to approximately 14 months.

The airline's Chief Operational Integrity and Safety Officer, Captain David Morgan, says it's important they future-proof their pilot ranks.

"There's a global shortage of pilots, and that shortage has just continued to grow over time. Airlines are expanding, Air New Zealand will grow - and also, there's an aging pilot issue." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
In New Zealand is future proofing to avoid a pilot shortage.
The airline today announced a pilot cadet program where thirty
future pilots will be trained on a fast track pathway
paid for by Air New Zealand. The course will be
cut from up to three years down to fourteen months.
Captain Dave Morgan is Air New Zealand's Chief Operational Integrity
and Safety Officer and with us now, Hey Dave.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Hi, Heather, how I am well?

Speaker 1 (00:21):
Thank you. Do you normally train your own pilots.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
No, this is the first. We've never done it before,
so this is quite unique for in New Zealand setting
up the first ever caadetship program for the airin.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
Well, that's fair bit of infrastructure you'd have to set up, isn't.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
It will be these two parts to it. First part
is to send some cadets offshore. We'll be doing thirty
in tranches of six over the next year or so
up to Arizona and then on to Dubai for the
completion of their training. That'll take fourteen months. And while
that's going on, we've released today expressions of interest to

(00:58):
the aviation industry, to training organizations, to set up and
work in partnership with us to set up the get
ETCHA program here in museum.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
Why did you guys decide to do this.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
Well, there's a global shortage of pilots and that shortages
just continue to grow over time. Airlines are expanding in
New Zealand will grow and also there's an aging pilot
issue as well, with guys requiring and what have you.
Not short of pilots at the moment, but we do
need to future proof, as you said, the supply lines

(01:31):
of pilots to the airline. What this will do in
actual fact, we'll deliver something between twenty five and thirty
percent of the annual requirement of pilots for the airline
per year and we expect it to be an enduring
process going forward. So quite exciting and.

Speaker 1 (01:46):
Very vote And why fast track.

Speaker 2 (01:50):
Well, it's not the reality is that the process at
the moment and the traditional processes, pilots go to a
training school and it typically takes a couple of years
to to get their qualification and then they have to
go and then do extra hours flying with a thirty
air line before they can come to air New Zealand.
If they do an immersive course that's associated with the

(02:14):
airline itself under the regulatory system, they can then once
they return to New Zealand start flying with the airline immediately.
So that's the difference between the fourteen hours that the
cadets will take and then the sort of two and
a half years that typically pilot going through the normal
system will take.

Speaker 1 (02:29):
So we're not going to get dud pilots because they
haven't done the full course.

Speaker 2 (02:32):
Are we. No? No, No, The many airlines around the
world actually do training in a similar sort of way,
So we're going to get to top quality pilots that
are coming through the system. Are we going on too?
The ATR that's the airplane that flies somewhere between Kerry
Carey and the northern Vicago to the south, and they'll
be in the right hand seat of the aircraft from
day one, So really really exciting.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
Cool. Hey, by the way, while I've got you, what
did you make of Singapore Airlines offering that compo for
the turbulence?

Speaker 2 (02:59):
Yeah, that's interesting. We're obviously monitoring that. The reality is
compensation for passengers is actually governed under a convention that's
known as the Montreal Convention, which New Zealand is a
country is a signatory to that under the International Civil
Aviation Organization, the liability of each areas and the compensation

(03:20):
to be paid to passengers actually is actually defined through
that process. And notwithstanding what the Singapore Airlines have done,
of course is obviously still the investigation to be completed
and in other matters to be considered undoubtedly by the
legal system. But I think it's an appropriate thing for
the airline to have obviously done that there was a

(03:42):
significant event for a lot of people, and as a
consequence of that obviously had to be appropriate rempedy needed
to be considered by the airline for those customers.

Speaker 1 (03:51):
And you of the view, which is something that's come
out of Reading University, that this share air turbulence is
going to get a whole lot worse now because of
climate change.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
Yeah, well, I am of the view that the atmosphere
is becoming more energetic as a result of global warming,
and the reality is that with more heat in the atmosphere,
you get more convective cloud which is probably the root
cause of what's occurred here with Singapore air Lines, and
that means that clouds are building and this aeroplane obviously

(04:21):
either flew very close to one that was building or
flew into it and that caused the clear inturaberance which
has resulted in these injuries. So yeah, I am of
the view that we need to be more cognizant of
the risks associated with clear interbreance, and my message to
our customers, as we do when we flown their aplane,

(04:42):
is to strongly advise our customers to always have the
seat out for us and the emphasilt sign it's not illuminated.

Speaker 1 (04:47):
Yeah, I think we're all sorry to understand why, David,
Thank you so much appreciated Captain David Morgan of Air
New Zealand.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
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