Costly training forces CebuPac to hire abroad

THE stiff cost of training Airbus-grade pilots for at least $30,000 for a 40-day course has forced Asia’s largest low-cost carrier, Cebu Pacific, to scout for trainable pilots from abroad, preferably Europe.

In fact, its training facility in Clark called the Philippine Academy for Aviation Training (PAAT), a joint venture between Cebu Pacific and CAE of Canada, the global supplier of Airbus simulators, syllabi and training materials, has been “graduating” European and Asian pilots since its inauguration by President Benigno Aquino 3rd on December 3, 2012.