Africa's demand for pilots, aircraft to soar
18 avril 2012
Creamer Media's Engineering News - 17 April 2012
Africa would need more than 800 new airplanes over the next 20 years and between 14 000 and 20 000 new trained pilots, Boeing Commercial Airplanes international sales director Miguel Santos said on Tuesday.
He told a media briefing at the National Airways Corporation’s 43 Air School’s Port Alfred campus, in the Eastern Cape, that Boeing would announce revised estimates later this year and that these numbers could increase.
“We are seeing a greater demand for air travel, as the middle class in Africa expands. According to the International Monetary Fund, seven of the world’s ten fastest growing economies will be from the African continent in the next five years,” Santos said.
He added that the growing demand for trained airline pilots on the African continent pointed to the importance of partnerships between pilot training schools and aircraft manufacturers, such as the one between 43 Air School and Boeing.
“Africans are increasingly turning to air travel as road and rail infrastructure remains underdeveloped. These partnerships will play an important role in providing qualified pilots to the industry in Africa,” Santos stated.
Catégorie: Transport