You might also like:
DUE to a shortage of candidates in China, foreign pilots are being poached into Chinese airlines with handsome pay packages and the opportunity to “live like a king”.
Airlines are turning to overseas headhunters to recruit foreign talent, and in some emerging markets like Brazil and Russia, pilots could be offered as much as four times the salaries they’re currently on.
Some carriers are offering as much as US$318,000 a year, a significant hike from the US$209,000 a US airline like Delta would typically pay.
On top of the ritzy pay packages, pilots can request for bonuses, overtime pay, and contract-completion payouts. Some recruiters are also given free rein to fill in captains’ chairs.
Source: Bloomberg
Former United Airlines pilot Giacomo Palombo said he’s having offers thrown at him every week from carriers such as Qingdao Airlines and Sichuan Airlines, and added that both airlines offered to cover his income tax bills if he takes up the job.
However, money may not be everything to foreign pilots, as some of them seem to have reservations about living in China.
Richard Laig, a partner overseeing Asian businesses at consulting firm Mango Aviation Partners, told Bloomberg: “There aren’t a lot of expat pilots who really want to go to China. There are places that are more comfortable.”
Plus, government bureaucracy and red tape could also delay pilots’ entry into China, what with documentation, permits, immigration and medical issues that need sorting out prior to the move.
Air traffic in China is the world’s busiest, and looks set to quadruple in the next two decades. According to a report by the Civil Aviation Industry Statistics, the Chinese fleet has tripled to 2,650 in the last decade.
The post Chinese airlines are luring foreign pilots with lucrative pay packages appeared first on Travel Wire Asia.
Source: travelwireasia.com