Dragonair may have been under the wings of Cathay Pacific for the past five of its 26 years, but when it comes to recruiting and training pilots its approach is very different. The all-Airbus carrier, which specialises in short- and medium-haul routes to mainland China and secondary cities throughout Asia, tends to take on only Hong Kong permanent residents through a cadet scheme.
However, according to assistant general manager operations Mike Kitney, that might change if the airline's expansion continues apace. "If we can't recruit enough pilots locally, we will go to the international market for experienced 3,000h first officers," he says. "We have not done that since 2008, but we might well do it again."
Expansion is certainly on the cards. Dragonair, which has its own offices near Cathay's headquarters at Hong Kong International Airport and flies under a separate air operators certificate to its parent, has a fleet of 18 A330s and 14 A320s, with 10 new aircraft - six of the widebodies and four of the single-aisle variant - due for delivery over the next four years.
It has around 400 pilots, and at the end of this year will have 58 cadets in various stages of its 62-week training programme, largely based in Melbourne, Australia. However, it has just launched its first multi-crew pilot licence scheme, which will involve ground training in Hong Kong with Oxford Aviation Academy.
Graduates become A320 second officers for one year, then junior first officers for two years. Until 2008, the route to the left-hand seat was fairly rapid - two to three years. However, now most pilots at Dragonair have to have 5,000h under their belt before becoming a captain, says Kitney.
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| Dragonair assistant general manager operations Mike Kitney: "If we can't recruit enough pilots locally, we will go to the international market for experienced 3,000h first officers." |
Related link: Pilot jobs in Hong Kong on Flightglobal's Jobs page
Source: Flight International
