“We currently have some 60 pilots, and a further 20 qualified pilots would be necessary. But we can speak of a shortage in the field worldwide and, of course, in Romania,” the company’s General Manager, Gheorghe Racaru, said.
The only school training pilots in Romania is the Higher School of Civil Aviation, where some 10-15 pilots are trained annually. “This is a very low number, if we consider the annual demand of several local companies, such as TAROM, Blue Air and Carpatair,” a former head of the Civil Aviation Department within the Transportation Ministry, Sorin Stoicescu, said. After they finish training, pilots are granted aviation licenses by the Authority of Civil Aeronautics.
Stoicescu said Romania should follow the example of several European states, where aviation schools are sponsored by airline operators. Several pilots who retired from state-owned TAROM are currently working for other companies, including Blue Air.
The average monthly salary for pilots is €1,500 in Romania, although highly skilled pilots can earn several thousand euro.
