MK Recruitment of Pilots Disappointed Hopes of Mauritians

Of the 169 pilots (including helicopter pilots) that the Company had on 1 October, only 71 are Mauritians. Four of them are expatriates who have obtained their citizenship. And after the Mauritian Pilot Program of the national airline, closed last August, only four candidates were selected. While during four years, 46 foreign pilots joined Air Mauritius ...

77 applications were received in the first two phases of the Mauritian Pilot Program operated by Lufthansa Consulting . After the various selection tests, four of the ten candidates who have reached the final stage (Editor's note, the test flight in a simulator at Lufthansa Flight Training Center in Frankfurt) were selected for training in South Africa . They should then take flight as co-pilot of the two ATR fleet MK. 

However, in late September, Air Mauritius has announced through a press release that it will recruit three pilot said program. What did the company reversed its decision three weeks later, offering a fourth candidate the chance to join his circle of pilots? "A revision of the budget for this project," explains Fooad Nooraully, responsible communication MK. 

He argues that the company is aware of the expectations of Mauritians, but explains that each recruitment campaign, most candidates, although having a pilot's license, have a very low number of hours flight, and little experience of commercial flight. Indeed, Air Mauritius , to become co-pilot on a jet company (excluding ATR 72), a student pilot must have a minimum of 2,000 flight hours.

"So take a substantial number of pilots suddenly slows the progression of each to achieve the 2000 flight hours, because we only have two ATR with short flights to Rodrigues Island Reunion. "Where a schedule for each pilot training can accumulate the number of hours required.

"Meanwhile, Air Mauritius Mauritius recruiting pilots as foreigners who have the number of hours required for jet airplanes," says Fooad Nooraully. He adds that the same selection tests, as well as working conditions and pay, apply for Mauritian and foreign pilots.