East African Business Week

NAIROBI KENYA-- Kenya Airways has announced that it was on course to meet its target pilot numbers for the financial year 2011/2012.
The Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Titus Naikuni, said this during the commissioning of the last group of 17 initio students for training in South Africa.  "With the commissioning of this group, we are getting closer to reaching the required number of pilots for our growing fleet," he explained,  noting that the airline was focusing on increasing the number of pilots in tandem with the increase of its fleet as well as to meet the demands of the expanding route network.
Dr Naikuni added that Kenya Airways had enhanced its pilot training programme. He noted that with the recent installation of a 737 flight simulator at the Pride Center at Embakasi as a cost of Sh1.1 billion, the pilots were able to get more in-house training.
The group of 17 students is the last batch of the financial year 2010/2011 to be commissioned following another group of  eight which left last month for the same training in South Africa.
This brings the total number of those undergoing training to 62 for the financial year 2010/2011 against a target of 60.
The trainees will go through a rigorous programme at the Progress Flight Academy and 43 Air Training Schools located in Port Elizabeth in South Africa. It is expected to equip them with the necessary technical skills to enable them join the ranks in KQ flight operations.
To fund the training, the Ab initio trainee pilots had each been given a student loan of Sh5.4 million from the Co-operative Bank of Kenya for training in the programme which is repaid after completion. Ab initio is pilot training for those who have had no previous experience.
Kenya Airways guarantees employment to every pilot who successfully completes the training programme. The programme begun in 1991 and trained  five  pilots. However it took a break and resumed in May 2003. So far 229 pilots have trained in South Africa and Ethiopia, of whom158 have joined Kenya Airways.
KQ has been under pressure to boost its aircraft piloting crew capacity in a race to increase the number of first officers and captains for the growing fleet. Although the company has a total of 377 pilots in its employment, it needs more pilots to fly its Boeing 787 Dreamliners expected beginning 2013.
Last month, Group Human Resource Director Paul Kasimu said that the airline was focusing on increasing the number pilots in tandem with the increase and renewal of its current fleet as well as to meet the demands of the larger route network that Kenya airways was developing.