QANTAS Recruits Pilots in USA ?

[bafanguy]

This is an interesting turn of events. A QANTAS DHC-8 subsidiary is in Hawaii headhunting DHC-8 pilots to come fly in Australia ? Island Air recently kicked the bucket after 35+ years so maybe some would opt to head south for a while ?

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6343594678151188480

 

[bafanguy]

Maybe the Island Air folks won't have to become expats after all...not that any were going to anyway:


“If approved, the sale will allow ‘Ohana by Hawaiian to assume oversight of operations currently provided under contract by Empire Airlines,” Da Silva said. “Those operations would include the hiring of pilots…”

http://www.staradvertiser.com/2017/...-air-operating-certificate-assets-for-750000/

 

[bafanguy]

Looks like they're gettin' a little tense Down There. In the meantime, we're taking their young people Up Here into regionals. Very entertaining:



https://www.sbs.com.au/news/foreign-pilots-to-plug-australian-shortage

 

[bafanguy]

Looks like they're aiming at a 4 year visa for "experienced" pilots. I can't see many, if any, Americans jumping the hurdles to go there. Why would you ?

“In order to attract suitably senior pilots, who more than likely have a family growing up and so forth, we need to make it attractive enough for them to come across and uproot their family,” its chief executive, Mike Higgins, said on Thursday. “A four-year period seems to be a sweet spot.”

"Senior" means experienced. They don't seem to be hiring young guys and promoting to captain from within. Some companies still want type rated people...like China...


https://www.theguardian.com/austral...-to-relax-visa-laws-to-attract-foreign-flyers

 

[bafanguy]

Speaking of pilots supply and Australia, here's an article on the subject:


https://www.afap.org.au/news1/artmid/1606/articleid/107/pilot-shortage-in-australia

 

[bafanguy]

Australia is apparently trying to ease its visa requirements for expat pilots. Not sure many American takers they'd get for it considering license conversion, cost of living, etc:

https://www.theguardian.com/austral...-to-relax-visa-laws-to-attract-foreign-flyers