Airlines accused of scrimping on pilot training
Airlines and aircraft manufacturers have been accused of investing only in ‘absolute minimum’ pilot training to keep down their costs.
The head of the UK’s Flight Safety Committee Dai Whittingham told the BBC that the industry has ‘less desire to provide training’.
His comments came after two plane crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, both of which involved the relatively new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.
Whittingham told the BBC that ‘shareholders are squeezing airlines hard on costs. Spending on training fleets of captains and first officers is not necessarily welcome’, he said.
The BBC report suggested airlines sometimes opt to use online rather than cockpit training for pilots switching to a new version of an aircraft, such as the 737 MAX 8. It claimed that the minimum training for pilots to upgrade to the new model, established by Boeing, could be done purely online and required no time in a flight simulator.
However, Boeing told the broadcaster that safety was its ‘highest priority’ and the CAA said: "Safety is our number one priority and the UK has one of the world’s safest aviation industries. Commercial pilots undergo extensive training and testing and once qualified continue to be regularly checked and tested."
Also, Ethiopia Airlines insists the pilots flying the MAX 8 that crashed shortly after take-off were trained in a simulator.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025