Boeing to Open Pilot School
Published: June 5, 2013 (Issue # 1762)
MOSCOW — Boeing will start training pilots in a multimillion flight school at the Skolkovo technological hub, a Transport Ministry official told Vedomosti Tuesday.
A deal is set to be signed at the end of June that will see the American aircraft manufacturer deliver specialized equipment worth millions of dollars, said a representative of Skolkovo.
The school will join the cosmic cluster in Skolkovo’s technopark, where pilots will be given a chance to enhance their qualifications. Their skills will be tested using flight simulators and they will have to provide biomedical information and undergo endurance tests.
Transport Minister Maxim Skolkov said there is currently a deficit of pilots in Russian airlines. He estimated that another 1,200 are needed to compensate for the shortfall, but the current law bars carriers from hiring foreigners. However, an amendment to the Air Code would allow Russia to attract 200 foreign pilots each year over a five year period, the report said.
Pay at Russia’s major fliers is currently higher than European competitors at $14,000 a month, the report said.