High study fees are locking out many more aspiring pilots at a time of workforce shortages in New Zealand.
The Aviation Industry Association of NZ (AIANZ) says most graduates get work quickly across the industry, primarily in charter and general aviation roles, in areas such as tourism flight operations, agricultural aviation and helicopter operations.
“This is counter to long-standing views that they are almost exclusively limited to moving into careers as flight instructors,” says Simon Wallace, ceo of AIANZ.
The industry also continues to absorb those who don’t immediately get a job, with around 10% remaining unemployed within six months of graduation, dropping to around 5% within a year. However, the sector is said to be losing 10-20% of trainees even before they graduate due to financial stress linked to high tuition fees and limited student loan support.
. . . High Costs
Training to be a pilot is about $120,000 for a two-year commercial pilot license course, with students expected to fund at least another $50,000 on top of the $70,000 student loan they are limited to.
“The reality is that it’s only an option for those who have family that can provide financial support,” says Wallace.
The student loan has been capped at $70,000 since 2013 without any inflation adjustment. Wallace says the government has been reluctant to increase the loan cap based on a belief that graduates have limited early career pathways that inhibit debt repayment.
“We now have irrefutable evidence that this is not the case with our graduates able to get jobs across the entire industry that allow them to pay off debt.”
. . . Aviation Review
AIANZ research with the Ringa Hora Workforce Development Council in 2024 found Aotearoa needs at least 100 new pilots each year to meet projected workforce demand.
“Our pilot training system has the capacity to meet that demand, but we are locking aspiring New Zealand pilots out of the industry due to financial and funding arrangements,’’ says Wallace.
The association is also worried about the shortage of training places for aviation engineers. Associate minister of transport James Meager is aware of AIANZ’s concerns but is wary of students taking on too much debt they may struggle to repay.
