Cebu eyed as aviation training hub as global shortage looms

CEBU, Philippines — The global aviation industry is facing a long-term shortage of skilled workers, creating opportunities for countries such as the Philippines to supply pilots, aircraft technicians, cabin crew and other aviation professionals to a rapidly expanding international market.

The industry will require about 2.7 million new aviation professionals over the next two decades, including 660,000 pilots, 710,000 technicians and 1 million cabin crew, according to Boeing’s latest 20-year commercial market outlook, Vincent Charles Ong of Airworks Aviation said at the fourth Cebu Aviation Summit, held at the Cebu City Sports Club.

Southeast Asia alone is expected to need about 243,000 aviation professionals over the same period, highlighting the region’s growing importance to the global aviation workforce.

“The world will need you, Asia will need you, Southeast Asia will need you,” Ong told students and young professionals attending the summit.

The figures highlight an opportunity for the Philippines, which has long supplied workers to international airlines and aviation companies, as carriers expand fleets and routes despite near-term pressures from geopolitical tensions, fuel costs and disruptions to air travel.

Ong said airlines in the Gulf region have been looking more aggressively to the Philippines for aviation talent, with international recruitment activity increasingly reaching the country.

That demand reflects the Philippines’ established pool of aviation workers as well as its English-language capability and service-oriented workforce, he said.

For Cebu, the opportunity extends beyond supplying workers overseas.

The province is positioning itself as an aviation training centre for Southeast Asia, supported by the expansion of international air links and the presence of major airlines, airports and maintenance and training companies.

“Cebu is becoming not just a destination. Cebu is becoming an aviation training hub for the region,” Ong said.

Airworks Aviation has seen that shift through partnerships with airlines. Cebu Pacific’s cadet pilot program is being run out of Cebu, while Vietjet has entrusted Airworks with its cadet pilot program, according to Ong.

Vietjet, one of Asia’s fastest-growing carriers, has more than 500 aircraft on order from Airbus and Boeing, he said.

The development marks a shift in Cebu’s role in the aviation value chain, from a passenger gateway to a potential source of trained professionals for airlines across the region.

That could create a broader economic footprint than passenger traffic alone. Each additional aircraft and route generates demand not only for pilots and cabin crew but also for aircraft engineers, technicians, airport operations specialists, air traffic professionals, instructors and ground-handling workers.

Ong said the industry’s career opportunities should therefore be viewed beyond the highly visible cockpit and cabin roles.

“Aviation is not just about becoming a pilot,” he said, pointing to the engineers and aircraft technicians responsible for aircraft safety, airport professionals, traffic controllers, ground operations specialists and instructors who keep the industry functioning.

The sector nevertheless faces significant short-term uncertainty. Geopolitical tensions and elevated fuel costs have complicated the operating environment for airlines, while disruptions in major aviation markets have affected routes and capacity planning.

But Ong argued that these pressures should be viewed against the industry’s longer-term workforce requirements.

For the Philippines, international demand could also provide an avenue to deepen its role in the global aviation services industry rather than simply export individual workers.

The expansion of training programs in Cebu, particularly those linked to foreign and domestic airlines, could help build a regional ecosystem encompassing pilot training, technical education, maintenance and other aviation services.

Ong credited the Cebu provincial government, Mactan-Cebu International Airport and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines for supporting the development of the local aviation training ecosystem.

The challenge now is to ensure that the workforce can meet international standards as demand rises.

For students attending the summit, Ong’s message was less about choosing a particular aviation career than recognizing the breadth of opportunities opening up across the industry.

“Every captain was once a student, every engineer was once a young person deciding what career to pursue,” he said.

As airlines continue to expand fleets and connectivity across Asia, the competition for qualified aviation workers is likely to become an increasingly important part of the industry’s growth story.

For Cebu, that could mean that its next aviation opportunity is not simply carrying more passengers through its airport, but training the people who will operate the region’s expanding air network. — (FREEMAN)