Alpha Aviation Group Reports Post-Pandemic Pilot Training Surge

Alpha Aviation Group (AAG), an aviation training provider in the Philippines, has taken on its biggest group of cadets since the Covid-19 pandemic amid a strengthening recovery in the airline industry and increasing demand for pilots.

A joint graduation ceremony was held in March 2023 to formally recognize 21 cadet pilots from five different groups who successfully completed Alpha Aviation Group’s Airline Pilot Program (APP), following in the footsteps of 22 cadets who graduated in February.

More than 60 cadets have been inducted to the APP since April 2022, signalling a big increase in pilot training since the pandemic. AAG’s 32-strong fleet is the largest in the region, allowing it to meet a surge in demand, with the capability to take on 150 cadets annually.

In March, 11 cadet pilots who have joined the APP were inducted to the A320 type rating phase, a comprehensive program that enables cadets to transition from light aircraft to modern commercial jets within three months. Around 100 aspiring cadets and parents recently attended AAG’s first Airline Pilot Career Orientation (APCO) at the Novotel Manila Araneta City where aspiring commercial airline pilots were given information and advice to help them build their career plans.

Alongside its flagship pilot training programs, AAG is now also offering maintenance training and it recently won a tender to deliver a program for more than 300 students graduating from Holy Angel University.

Nine trainees who successfully finished the Aviation Maintenance Internship Program (AMIP) were last month formally sent off by the AAG International Center for Aviation Training (AICAT) Maintenance Training Center (MTC) . They were the fourth group of trainees to graduate since the program was started.

The AICAT-MTC AMIP is designed to provide a comprehensive, hands-on training experience for students with an interest in aviation maintenance. During the program, students undergo rigorous training in areas such as aircraft maintenance, avionics, and aircraft systems. The program also exposes students to the latest technology and equipment used in the aviation industry.

Maria Rufina Santos, AAG Head of Student Affairs and Client Relations, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming more cadets to our training centre than at any time since the pandemic. We know that there is an increased demand for pilots as the airline industry continues to recover and come back stronger and we are seeing a pent-up demand for pilot training. We have recently extended our offering to maintenance training, where there is also considerable demand, and our ambition is to be the premier aviation training solutions provider in the Asia-Pacific region”.