AirAsia is resuming the induction of Second Officers who graduated from its cadet pilot program this month after a two and a half year hiatus, to support manpower requirements for next year. The Second Officers will undergo a ground training and type rating course for six months before being checked out as First Officers. A total of 14 Second Officers who completed their basic flying training in early 2020 reported for duty on 1 November this year.

There will be four batches of cadet pilots to be inducted this year and AirAsia sets to hire more than 180 new Second Officers in 2023.

Riad Asmat, CEO of AirAsia Malaysia said: “We are proud to induct and train new Second Officers again after more than two years. This not only signals the significant travel rebound but also shows that a career in the aviation industry remains attractive and competitive.

“We are also thrilled to announce that our very own cadet pilot program will resume early next year targeting to bring on board more cadet pilots in 2023 to support manpower requirements ahead of rapid aircraft expansion.

“This is on top of reactivating all 740 pilots who were on furlough under AirAsia Malaysia (AK) by the end of this year and recruiting 372 new cabin crew to meet the surge in demand for air travel.

“Most importantly, hiring these cadet pilots allows us to invest in local talent and commit to supporting a more diverse workforce including 15% new female pilots.”

The AirAsia cadet pilots program is a competency-based training program designed especially for AirAsia together with its training partner. Upon successfully being selected, aspiring pilots will be enrolled into the AirAsia program to earn a Multi-Crew Pilot License (MPL) with a Frozen Air Transport Pilot License (ATPL) to become AirAsia’s Second Officers.