Cebu-based Aviatour aims to push PHL as world's flight training hub

CEBU, Philippines - After making a name in other countries in providing good commercial pilots, Cebu-based Aviatour Flight School vows to raise the bar in providing quality training and ultimately push the Philippines as the hub for flight school in the world.

Recently, the Aviatour Flight School in Mactan Island formally awarded 14 students who completed its full training with the school, about 95 percent of the graduates come from 14 countries, such as Indonesia, Pakistan, and Libya, among others.

In an interview with Aviatour vice chairman and chief sales officer Kenneth Roy Madrid, he said that the flight school is doubling its effort to make the Philippines as the center for flight training, especially in providing commercial pilots around the world.

“We are trying to change the quality of graduates. We produce quality pilots, most of them are from 30 nationalities,” said Madrid.

The flight school which was established about three years ago in Cebu already provided over a hundred quality pilots in different countries across the globe.

Of the 14 graduates, only two are Filipinos, one from Manila, and one from Cebu.

According to Madrid, although the interest of some Filipinos wanting to become a commercial pilot is increasing, the school has continuously attracted foreign students to take their almost a year training in Cebu.

He said because of the Philippines good weather, location, and cost efficiency, it is considered as one of the best training grounds for student pilots.

For a one package training that would take almost a year, per student may incur about P1.5 million investment, that already includes stay-in package (board and lodging), among others.

The school is also partnering with 20 airlines worldwide to give assurance of employment to graduates.

At present, Aviatour has three flight schools one in Cebu (Philippines), in Texas and Long Beach California (U.S.A.).

“The demand especially for commercial pilots is starting to pick up. In Asia alone, the industry needs at least a thousand of pilots a year,” he said.

Madrid added that the company is also exploring possibilities of opening one flight school in Manila in the next few months.

Record showed that the Philippines, because of the budget airline popularity, needs at least 700 commercial pilots a year.

Erick Mulia, 18-year-old, from Bogor, Indonesia, this year’s most outstanding awardee for the school, said that it is much cheaper to take flight studies in the Philippines, compared to Indonesia, although, there are about five to six top flight schools in his country.

Aviatour is a full-service general aviation service provider heardquartered in Cebu with offices and operations in other key cities in the Philippines, and United States.

Aside from offering a world-class quality flight school, the company also has several related services such as flight tours, chartered flights, and brokerage and aircraft repairs. (FREEMAN)