Most of the foreign pilots in China are provided by local airlines/Oriental IC.
Eric is currently the captain of Shenzhen Airlines A320.
According to the statistics of the Civil Aviation Administration, there were 1005 foreign pilots in China in 2016, including 160 of the three major airlines, Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines. Other foreign pilots will mainly choose to work in local airlines and transportation companies. According to aviation industry insiders, the salary level of foreign pilots paid by China airlines is also in the leading position in the world, and the salary offered by some airlines is four times that paid by air China companies such as Brazil and Russia.
China has become the second largest aviation market after the United States. According to the statistics of the Civil Aviation Administration, by the end of 2016, the number of China civil aviation transport aircraft fleet (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) had reached 2,933, and there were 1,005 foreign pilots in China.
phenomenon
The number of foreign pilots in China has exceeded 1000.
The number of China Airlines aircraft exceeds 2,933. According to the data in the Statistical Bulletin of Civil Aviation Airport Production in 2016 published by the Civil Aviation Administration, the annual passenger throughput of airports in China exceeded 1 billion for the first time in 2016, with 1,016.357 million passengers completed, an increase of 11.1% over the previous year. Domestic routes completed 914.017 million passengers, an increase of 10.3% over the previous year; International air routes exceeded 100 million passengers for the first time, with 102.34 million passengers completed, an increase of 19.3% over the previous year.
China has become the second largest aviation market after the United States, and the civil aviation industry as a whole has maintained a growth rate of about 10%. In the past five years, according to the passenger traffic figures, the average annual growth rate in the United States was around 4%, in Europe it was around 6%, and in China it reached 10%.
With the rapid development of aviation industry, different airlines have different talent pool reserves for pilots, which also leads to different demand for foreign captains. Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines have a relatively stable talent reserve mechanism, while private airlines choose to recruit people with high salaries to supplement their talent pool.
According to the statistics of the Civil Aviation Administration, there were 1005 foreign pilots in China in 2016, including 160 of the three major airlines, Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines. Other foreign pilots will mainly choose to work in local airlines and transportation companies.
For example, Xiangpeng Airlines has 600 pilots (including trainees), including more than 60 foreign pilots from 13 countries. In 2016, a total of 43 pilots were promoted to captain, including 19 foreign captains. It is understood that these 19 foreign captains are from six countries including South Korea, Canada, Russia, Spain, Brazil and Bulgaria.
The development plan of pilots in China is: flight cadet → Class e co-pilot → Class d co-pilot → Class c co-pilot → Class b co-pilot → Class a co-pilot → Captain. Generally speaking, the training time in the flight cadet stage is two years, and the training cost alone needs at least 700,000 yuan per person. If the salary, accommodation, equipment consumption and other expenses are added, the training cost is close to one million yuan. The process from the co-pilot to the captain usually takes 7-10 years.
The main reason why many airlines introduce foreign pilots is that the existing pilot graduates can’t make up, and the domestic captains sign long-term contracts with airlines, which are basically lifelong contracts. The cost of "digging the wall" is high and even leads to lawsuits. Foreign captains sign contracts with companies for 1-5 years, which is more flexible.
reveal a secret
A foreign captain’s salary in China is four times that of his own country.
In an interview, Dave Ross, chairman of Wasinc International, a professional pilot leasing company registered in Hong Kong, revealed that some China airlines are willing to pay a monthly after-tax salary as high as 26,000 US dollars, which is four times the salary paid to pilots by air China companies such as Brazil and Russia.
The huge market vacancy and high salary and welfare are attractive to foreign pilots to work in China. Take European and American countries as an example. People who want to be pilots need to attend flight training at their own expense, then get a private license and accumulate flying hours. They usually fly in agriculture, forestry or business jet companies first, then fly cargo planes, and finally fly large passenger planes, forming a mature mode of transporting talents from general aviation to civil aviation.
Why do foreign pilots want to work in China? According to aviation industry insiders, first of all, it is not easy to find a job for foreign pilots. In large civil aviation companies in Europe and America, you can’t get a recommendation letter from a senior captain, and you may not even have an interview. Secondly, China’s salary and treatment level is also a leading level in the world. For example, Qingdao Airlines is willing to provide an annual salary of up to $318,000 for a foreign captain, and Sichuan Airlines is willing to provide an annual salary of $302,000 for the captain who flies to Canada and Australia. China airlines pay foreign captains about 20% more than domestic pilots, which is more attractive; There are also foreign pilots who have taken a fancy to some relatively complicated airports in Asia and have worked in China for "gilding", so it is easier to find jobs for well-known airlines after returning home.
press sb for an interview
There is a special intermediary company to recommend foreign captains.
Shenzhen Airlines was the first local airline to introduce foreign captains. Wu Mingxiang, manager of Boeing Foreign Flight Division of Shenzhen Airlines Flight Department, said in an interview with Beijing Youth Daily that when he joined Shenzhen Airlines as a co-pilot in 2005, Shenzhen Airlines already had four or five foreign captains. With the explosive development of the aviation industry, airlines need to buy new planes and a large number of pilots. Pilots have become a sought-after resource. In order to adapt to the development of the company, foreign captains from Brazil, Georgia, Romania, the United States, South Korea and other countries have been introduced one after another.
The ways of training pilots in China’s airlines are mostly entrusted training and directional distribution. It takes at least 8 to 10 years to train a captain. As airlines buy a large number of new planes and open up new routes, there is a shortage of pilot talents. The introduction of a foreign captain, through the relevant examination and approval required by the Civil Aviation Administration, can be completed in at least one year, which can quickly supplement the captain talent for the company.
Wu Mingxiang said that it was difficult to find and contact foreign captains in the past. In recent years, a special intermediary company has been responsible for recommending foreign captain talents, and the process of introducing pilots has become quite mature. Foreign pilots are not "welcome to all". In fact, pilots from any country must pass the qualification examination of the Civil Aviation Administration of China when they go to China, and their technical level must meet the requirements. If it is a different model, there is a corresponding modification test. In fact, all companies have strict assessment standards. Take Shenzhen Airlines as an example, the company will organize interviews with foreign captains, simulator operation, flight taking, etc. After 3-4 months of inspection, the contract can basically be confirmed.
Text/reporter Yan Lishuang
figure
French captain who runs a bakery part-time in China.
Eric, the captain from France, dreams of flying around the world. He recalled that after he joined the army, he jumped off his back during a military skydiving training. Facing the vast blue sky, he had a dream in Eric’s heart: "I want to be a pilot!" With this dream, Eric spent all his savings and entered the flight school. At the age of 22, he finally got a flight license and became a real pilot.
In 2007, Eric came to China, once worked for Jade International Cargo Airlines (a Sino-foreign joint venture professional cargo airline), and now he is the captain of Shenzhen Airlines A320. He is full of passion for flying a plane, and he is extremely proud of the feeling that he can control a behemoth by pulling the joystick lightly.
The financial crisis that broke out in 2008 affected international air freight. In 2010, the company’s operation was even more pessimistic, and the market capacity exceeded demand. Coupled with the European debt crisis and economic downturn, Eric’s former employer announced the closure in 2011, Eric lost his job, and his colleagues had to find their own way out. Later, the Chinese shareholders of Jade Airlines held a recruitment examination for the company’s pilots. He said: "I just lost my job, which is the first choice."
Eric said that China has completely changed himself. During his six years in China, his greatest achievement was the improvement of patience and skills. As a captain, he should strictly improve his skills to ensure safety no matter where he is.
Eric recalled a flight delay caused by flow control. It was estimated that the delay time was more than 3 hours. After waiting for an hour, instead of being in a bad mood because of the delay, the passengers all sat in their seats and waited quietly. Finally, after the crew made efforts to communicate and coordinate, the flight took off before the estimated delay time. Eric was deeply impressed by the crew’s joint efforts to tide over the difficulties and the understanding and support of the passengers.
After flying, Eric founded his own bakery because of his love of cooking. He decided to continue his work in China and Shenzhen Airlines. Fly while making bread.
focus
Many jokes about "Aeroflot" are false.
From the late night of July 13th to the early morning of July 14th, there was a heavy rain in Beijing. At that time, the flights of all airlines were delayed, cancelled or alternated, and the news that "another Russian Airlines landed ahead of schedule at the Capital Airport with thunder and lightning" once again brushed the screen. However, some media rumored yesterday that there was actually a Xiamen Airlines plane landing before Aeroflot landed.
Relevant industry insiders pointed out that the meteorological cloud picture released by Beijing Meteorological Bureau from 0: 18 to 0: 38 on July 14, 2017 showed that these flights could land safely, because the thunderstorm in Beijing began to weaken gradually and shifted to the northeast, so these just arrived flights got the landing window period.
The legendary captains of Russian airlines can all turn civil aviation flights into "fighters". In fact, many jokes about "Aeroflot" are false. Some insiders said that, on the one hand, China’s aviation safety supervision standards are absolutely the strictest in the world. There are a large number of real experts in the Civil Aviation Administration who exercise the strictest supervision over all planes flying over and landing in China. Once, foreign captains disobeyed the supervision of the Civil Aviation Administration and were refused "commercial" entry by relevant units forever. On the other hand, some foreign captains have excellent driving skills, rich theoretical knowledge, love flying and a high degree of professionalism, which is really commendable.
Text/reporter Yan Lishuang
