Last weekend, at the wedding reception of Dr. Athena Sagadevan & Dr. Tom Byvank at Courtyard Marriott Grand Ballroom, Setia Alam, in Shah Alam, Selangor, I had the opportunity to meet Dato' Kamarudin Ahmad, former Managing Director of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and many aviation professionals. Our conversations focused on the global commercial airline business continues to evolve as new entrants establish niches and long-time players change ownership. All are keen to help address professional aviation shortages & to leverage technology by optimizing talent development & retention methods.
In my conversation with Ashok Kumar, MAS Fleet/Schedule expert turned Infrastructure Development Consultant, I recall in its biennial forecast released at the Paris Air Show in June, CAE or Combined Airworthiness Exposition, is a technology company which bring the digital & physical worlds together to create a safer world, spelled out the need for 1.5 million civil aviation professionals, including 300,000 pilots, 416,000 aircraft maintenance technicians & 678,000 cabin crew. Notably, and for the first time, CAE also included air traffic controllers in its forecast, predicted a need for 71,000 controllers globally. (https://www.cae.com>biennial-forecast-June)
In explaining the thinking behind the CAE forecast numbers, Ashok said, “The need for 1.5 million new aviation professionals by 2034 is being driven by record demand for air travel and a significant wave of retirements that is expected across all categories. The impact will spur new approaches to training."
In support, Engineer Sitham Nadarajah, former MAS Deputy Director Engineering who post-retirement joined the Australian Aviation Consulting Group to turn around troubled airlines, added “With commercial and business aviation fleets expected to see double-digit increases over the next 10 years, the industry must take action to attract, train, and retain personnel. Highly skilled aviation professionals are not just a necessity for safety of the air transport system, they are the foundation for the successful expansion and resilience of the global aviation sector. The industry needs to be proactive and creative.”
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