British Airways is inviting applications for a fully-sponsored pilot training scheme, aiming to accept up to 60 cadets per year. The UK flag-carrier has selected flight school Skyborne – which has UK and US facilities – as its partner for the new initiative, to be known as Speedbird Pilot Academy after the airline’s callsign. Skyborne uses a fleet of Diamond DA-42s at Gloucester airport in the UK, plus Piper PA-28 Warriors and PA-44 Seminoles at Florida’s Vero Beach – acquired when it took over the former FlightSafety academy in 2021. The school is also expanding its capabilities with a second Alsim AL42 simulator, which replicates the DA-42, to be delivered to its Gloucester site. It says a “significant majority” of the Speedbird Pilot Academy’s intake this year will be made available through its channels. BA will cover the tuition and accommodation cost of the UK Civil Aviation Authority integrated air transport pilot licence programme – running to almost GBP100,000 ($124,000) – in full. The airline says it is committed to “increasing take-up” from under-represented groups, including women and ethnic minorities. “Our aim is to attract the very best talent out there for our future generation of pilots,” says BA CE Sean Doyle. He says the carrier intends to remove the cost barrier, which presents the greatest obstacle to potential candidates. The backing of the UK operator also means cadets do not bear the financial risk, which has become a crucial issue with some trainees whose flight schools collapsed during the pandemic. “By removing initial training costs, we’re making a flying career truly accessible so we can recruit the best and the brightest candidates,” says BA head of flight training Capt Ian Pringle. “We trust in Skyborne to offer our trainees world-class facilities, innovative teaching methods and a wealth of airline experience, building a crucial foundation for their future.” <br/>
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Qantas has been accused of being an aggressive industry player with a “strong presence” in Canberra, amid allegations it is muscling out its competitors by strategically scheduling and then cancelling economically unviable flights. A Senate inquiry is scrutinising how the airline industry operates, and the federal government’s role in it, after a decision by the transport minister, Catherine King, to deny Qatar Airways running an additional 28 services to major cities. Sydney Airport’s CE, Geoff Culbert, told senators on Tuesday Qantas was one of its toughest counterparties during negotiations, alluding to its influence in political circles. Culbert named Qantas and its budget subsidiary, Jetstar, among the domestic airlines that had been engaging in anti-competitive behaviour, leaving customers with higher air fares. Qantas Group – which together with budget carrier Jetstar operates 66% of domestic aviation – and Virgin Australia vehemently deny they hoard slots at Sydney. An earlier submission from the airport pointed to the “outdated” legal and regulatory framework that had allowed the system to become “clogged up” while incentivising anti-competitive behaviour. In particular, the airport said airlines had been using a strategy, known as “slot hoarding”, to hold on to flight slots despite not necessarily intending to go ahead with the flights for economic reasons. The practice prevents competitor airlines from applying for those empty slots, which has a flow-on effect for consumer prices. “Fundamentally, the way the current rules are written incentivises incumbent airlines to perpetually over-file and hold too many slots,” the airport’s submission said. “Slot filing data demonstrates that this has been allowed to go untempered for many years, and unless there’s a change to the rules, we do not see a scenario where behaviours will change or competition can increase.”<br/>
Airlines have battled through a terrible time over the past few years as the COVID pandemic upended travel and lockdowns grounded fleets. But few have endured as much as Finnair, which continues to face a closure of airspace over Russia after its neighbor invaded Ukraine, cutting off a main route for the airline and choking business from its key Asian markets. While major airlines recover from the pandemic slump, Finland's flagship carrier is changing course to cope with its Russian airspace challenge, focusing on Asian megacities like Shanghai and exploring expansions in other regions. Jenni Suomela, vice president for global sales and channel management, told Nikkei Asia recently that while Asia was "very important" and "at the core of Finnair's strategy still," the company last September reformulated its strategy when it became apparent that Russia's war in Ukraine was unlikely to end soon. "When we talk about the more balanced network, [Asia] is not the only thing that we do," Suomela said at Finnair's headquarters, overlooking Helsinki's airport. "And that's also a mindset change within Finnair." Celebrating 100 years of operations this year, Finnair wants to leave the past few years behind. After years of basing its growth strategy almost entirely on its role as a transit hub between Europe and Asia, Finnair is now looking also at expanding in Europe and the Middle East. Finnair used to boast the fastest connection between key Asian cities and Europe, but these flights now take 10% to 40% longer because its planes can no longer fly over Russia. Helsinki-Tokyo service that used to take around nine hours, now grinds on for around 13. This means higher labor, navigation and fuel costs. In the third quarter of 2022, Finnair made its first profit since 2019, before the pandemic struck. <br/>