Whanganui-based New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy is optimistic about the future despite commercial aviation almost grinding to a halt worldwide due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy (NZICPA) chief executive Phill Bedford said that while a number of international airlines won't survive, and others would need to rely on government assistance, there would also be new entrants in the market.
"From our [NZICPA] perspective, we're comfortable at the moment because we have a fairly large agreement with India's most successful airline, IndiGo," Bedford said.
"IndiGo is cash-rich, and they will come out of this crisis strongly, as others might not."
Bedford said when lockdown restrictions were eventually eased, the academy would be able to resume flight training "at our maximum capacity" until at least March next year.
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The New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy in Whanganui. Photo / Supplied
"We've got a solid year of flight training at Whanganui Airport and, in a small way, it will help contribute to the community in the district through the expenditure of our students."
Twenty-five students were due to come to the academy in June, but would still be able to train remotely from India if needed, Bedford said.
"It covers 13 weeks of ground school which will run into mid-September, by which time we'll hopefully have a little more certainty regarding travel restrictions.
"Even if it's really controlled by government regulations, there might still be a mechanism to allow our students into the country.
'We'll be making sure there are strict quarantine procedures in place if that option arises of course."
Whanganui District Council Holdings owns NZICPA and chairwoman Annette Main said Holdings had been gathering a lot of information from experts in the industry regarding the impact of Covid-19.
"The information we've received has indicated that, yes, the industry will recover eventually," Main said.
"At the moment we're hunkering down, awaiting the alert levels to drop to get our student pilots flying again.
"We still have good numbers at the school, and our students from overseas are safe here in Whanganui."
Keeping these students safe and healthy was really important, Main said.
"These are people who are in such a different environment, and we were really heartened that their loved ones back home felt comfortable with the level of care they were getting here in New Zealand."
Main said the difficulty for Holdings, as the owner of the flight academy, was the uncertainty surrounding the flow of international students and when they'll be allowed to enter New Zealand.
The global demand for pilots that prompted the opening of the academy still existed and the industry as a whole was still carrying on in a limited way, Main said.
"We're still going to train pilots, and even those pilots who have been trained need to stay up to date because industry rules are incredibly strict."
Main said Holdings had to be "constantly agile" when dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Right now, it is challenging, but we've got to make sure everything is in place to be ready when the borders do reopen.
"We're having a lot of meetings to keep our shareholders and the council informed as well."
