Outback Australians grounded as pilot crisis worsens

A recruitment drive by Qantas Airways after a 7-year hiatus is exacerbating shortages of pilots at regional air services that provide a lifeline to remote communities in the country's sparsely populated Outback. As airlines from Asia, Europe and North America vie for pilots amid a global shortage, there is growing concern among people in Australia's vast interior who rely on flights to major cities for medical treatment. To help fill in the gaps, the Australian government has reopened 2-year visas for foreign pilots. Regional airlines however say longer visas are required to attract pilots from overseas. Qantas began hiring again in 2016 after years of financial strife, during which it offered pilots leave without pay to work for other airlines. By mid-2018, it says it will have employed 300 new pilots, many from regional airlines. <br/>