Melanie Daglish, senior aviation underwriter at ITIC, says companies must offer competitive remuneration, flexible working arrangements and a firm commitment to ongoing, accredited training.
The charter and business aviation industry faces significant challenges when it comes to staffing, particularly in hiring and retaining talented personnel.
The industry is highly regulated, so the first challenge is hiring the right people for the job.
Post-pandemic trends have exacerbated these issues, leading to events like “mass resignations” and a general shortage of skilled workers in the aviation industry.
Additionally, accredited ongoing training is essential for the industry to ensure staff are always competent and able to adapt to changes in the industry.
Recruiting and retaining the right talent
One of the main challenges is finding and retaining highly skilled professionals, and competition for these roles is fierce, especially as commercial airlines often offer higher salaries and more structured career paths than the business aviation sector.
While the business aviation industry offers unique perks such as use of premium equipment and travel to exclusive locations, it also requires flexibility and adaptability, which can take a toll on employees.
Retaining talent is equally difficult due to the rigours of the work and the allure of other industries.
During the pandemic, many employees have re-prioritized their careers, placing a higher value on work-life balance, compensation and workplace culture.
Additionally, with a significant portion of the skilled aviation workforce approaching retirement, there is an urgent need to bridge the generational gap and ensure the transfer of critical skills.
Knowledge transfer and succession planning are essential for the industry’s continuity.
One notable finding in a recent European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) report is that while the range of career opportunities within the aviation industry are well known, most students are unfamiliar with “business aviation”.
Additionally, many students have stereotypes about the industry, believing it to be closed, difficult to enter, and unfriendly to the environment.
There is a need to better explain and educate the industry that business aviation contributes primarily to the global ecosystem by providing tailored transportation solutions to business professionals, government officials and organizations.
Furthermore, from a career perspective, it is important to highlight that business aviation is accessible to everyone and can offer attractive career growth opportunities.
EBAA reported that after being introduced to the business aviation sector, many students expressed enthusiasm for its unpredictable nature.
This was seen as an attractive feature compared to working for an airline whose flight routes are decided well in advance.
For example, leveraging a variety of aircraft types, customers and destinations can be a winning strategy for companies looking to hire young pilots.
This variety can be described as a feature that keeps the job interesting and gives you the opportunity to gain experience in different aspects of aviation.
A welcome development in business aviation this year is the new BizAvEnables (#Bizavenables) campaign by UK industry body British Business and General Aviation (BBGA).
The social media campaign aims to highlight the various positive aspects of the business aviation industry that have traditionally been overlooked.
Through video content on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube, BBGA leverages individuals across the industry to showcase business aviation’s efforts towards more sustainable aviation and its often under-recognized contributions to the economy and society.
While BBGA targets young people who may be future employees, it also tackles misconceptions held by many.
The role of ongoing training
Ongoing and certified training is a key tool in addressing the staffing challenges in the aviation industry.
Providing standardized, high-quality instruction, these programs are essential to meeting global regulatory requirements such as those of the NAA and EASA.
In the highly technical field of aviation, initial training is just the beginning; continuing education is essential to keep up with new technologies, regulations and safety protocols.
ITIC recently brought a case highlighting this point, alleging that an inappropriately qualified aviation consultant had been appointed to carry out a series of borescope inspections on redelivery to the leasing company.
An aviation engineering consultant was contracted by a leasing company to perform borescope inspections of 37 engines. The engines were installed on commercial wide-body aircraft that had been re-delivered to the leasing company by a major aircraft operator. The engines had been stored in their original condition.
After the inspections were completed, but before the consultant issued the “in-service” documents, the leasing company discovered that while the technical consultant was qualified to perform borescope inspections generally, he did not have the specific qualifications required for these engines.
As a result, the leasing company was not able to issue a “start of service” for the engine, which meant that the leasing company would have to carry out the inspection again, thus wasting all the significant expenses incurred in carrying out these inspections.
The delay also put the leasing company at risk of losing the sale of the property.The leasing company’s claim against the inspectors was originally $641,071, which ITIC negotiated down to $417,878 in a full and final settlement.
Another claim handled by ITIC concerned an air charter broker who provided quotes for charter flights that included cabin crew.
However, after the charterer agreed to the quote, the broker realized that the operator’s contract did not specify the presence of cabin crew, but rather the broker had only assumed it: the broker assumed that midsize jets included cabin crew.
Negotiations between the airline and the charter broker revealed that the airline did not have flight attendants available for the flight, which resulted in the broker having to find flight attendants and incur additional costs.
Training and Retention
Ongoing training also helps with talent retention: by investing in employee development, companies demonstrate that they are committed to the career progression of their staff, which can be a crucial factor in retaining skilled workers.
This is crucial in a competitive labor market, where professionals are often attracted to more lucrative or structured roles in other fields. Offering high-quality training and a clear career path can help mitigate this risk and encourage long-term employee commitment.
Companies also realize that hiring and training new employees to replace those who leave can be costly and disruptive to operations, making employee retention strategies more cost-effective.
Additionally, rapid technological advances and industry innovations require ongoing training to keep employees up to date with the latest developments and best practices.
Training and development efforts enable airlines to adapt to evolving technology, operational procedures and safety protocols, which in turn improves operational efficiency and competitiveness.
Reputation is the key to success
A company’s reputation is very important, and frequent employee turnover not only increases costs to a company, but can also damage the company’s reputation.
High turnover can lead potential candidates to believe that the company is unstable or that employees are unhappy.
And because employees are the face of your company and often deal with issues on the front lines, investing in strategies that help retain employees and reduce turnover costs in the long term is key to maintaining a good reputation.
For example, a Cornell University report found that across the airline industry, high employee turnover can reduce customer satisfaction scores by up to 5%.
Addressing the challenges of recruitment, retention and training requires a strong commitment to competitive compensation, flexible work arrangements and ongoing certification training.
This ensures that aviation professionals meet regulatory requirements and have the skills necessary for long-term success in the industry.
This year, Aviation Business News launched the “Best Places to Work in Aviation” awards, a new initiative to recognize companies that put their employees first, helping them equip themselves with the right skills and talent for the future. Stay tuned for the first winners to be announced soon.
