Ministry tells Indonesian airliners to hire 900 jobless local pilots

The Transportation Ministry has said as over 900 Indonesian pilots having not been able to gain employment with local airliners, the ministry is planning to impose a new obligation to ensure higher absorption of local pilots by the airline industry.

“This is a big problem. At least 900 local pilots have no jobs. This will be our homework, to create opportunities for them,” Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said on the sidelines of the Air Transportation Safety Campaign at the ministry’s office on Sunday.

Budi said his ministry would require local airliners to employ local pilots, while promising that the ministry would also help improve the competence of the pilots through further training.

“There has to be an obligation for local airliners to take on local pilots,” he added.

In addition, the ministry would give impose stricter requirements to foreign pilots working at local airliners.

“We should impose certain requirements for foreign pilots working in Indonesia,” he added.

Reportedly, 564 foreign pilots are currently working in the country.