Courtesy: CHAT Newsroom

By Angela Kazmierczak

Student commercial pilots in need of financial support

Jan 24, 2023 | 5:25 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – An aging workforce, pandemic-related layoffs, early retirements and increased training costs are having a significant impact on the airline industry.

Adding to the challenge is the number of commercial pilot licenses issued in Canada last year was cut in half.

“It took a while for the students to come back. It’s been kind of the same – we’re still building on our student population to get back to where we were before the pandemic,” said Terri Super, owner of Super T Aviation, a local aviation training facility.

Super says there are things that can be done to get more pilots trained.

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To start, airlines in Canada could help cover training costs like in other parts of the world.

“I’m not saying that the airlines are going to totally pay for training costs with all these students, but they probably could be more involved with it, with the thought that they go to their airlines. Canada is the only country that doesn’t,” said Super.

Additionally, she says more government support and financial forgiveness could increase the number of student pilots.

“Parents see the cost and the parents look at what’s happened to the industry in the last three years – is this something we want to spend that kind of money and have our child be in a position, where something may happen and may be laid off for an extended period of time?” said Super.

Typically, the cost of the aviation program ranges from $80,000 to $100,000.