Air China pilots have since last month expressed their dissatisfaction through open letters on their unfair salary structure. They have claimed that foreign pilots draw better packages than them. They feel that is a ‘destructive usage’ of pilots and the letter has been signed by a dozen pilots in protest to this inequality.
These major issues within the cockpit may eventually threaten flight safety, felt the pilots. These overwhelming demands on local pilots and more favorable treatment of foreign pilots are leading to extreme friction among flight crews and an unbearable work environment.
The Chinese national carrier in peak seasons operates more than a thousand flights. The Chinese pilots feel that a new leave policy will have to be implemented, given that the current workload has left their physical and mental health severely damaged. The airline has hired about 3,700 flight crew.
The Chinese pilots have pointed out in the letter that foreign pilots do not have a higher skill or standard compared to the Chinese pilots. They are not able to enhance the overall technical skill of the airline but regardless they are offered more leave, easier flight routes and larger pay packages than their Chinese counterparts.
The Chinese pilots have always been treated as inferior by the white pilots, and with other issues like unfair salaries, their relationships have become extremely hostile which can prove to be harmful and ineffective to cockpit management and will eventually threaten flight safety.
While Boeing and Airbus have established pilot training schools in China and other Asian countries, the demand for pilots is so high that it’s difficult for many Asian airlines to keep up. A Boeing report published in August 2013 predicted that the global explosion in demand for air travel — mostly in the Asia Pacific region — will require 192,300 new pilots by 2032. The report forecast that a staggering 40% of that demand — 77,400 pilots — will come from China.
In recent years, Chinese airlines seeking quick solutions to pilot shortages have recruited foreign pilots with high salaries and enticing benefits packages. The Chinese government refused to comment on the differences of salary. In a recent job posting Air China for a foreign A330 captain lists a starting salary of $204,000 while local Air China pilot makes approximately $96,000.
The discrimination not only exists in salaries but even when they wish to resign, Chinese pilots are prohibited from quitting, say Air China pilots in the letter. Since pilots are invaluable in China the Chinese courts too take the side of the airlines rather than the pilot.
