Commercial pilot school to open at Clark in May

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga – Clark Development Corp. (CDC) president and chief executive officer Antonio Ng announced yesterday that the International Aviation Group (IAG) will open here this May its modern commercial pilot school with an initial investment of $15.6 million.

Ng said the school, to be located in the premises of Clark Polytechnic, will train commercial pilots for the Airbus 320.

"We expect the school to be operational by the third week of May," he said.

The CDC and IAG signed the agreement for the establishment of the aviation school last December.

IAG is initially investing $15.6 million and will infuse an additional $12.5 million as the school upgrades its training equipment, including flight simulators, next year.

"The school can accommodate 400 students annually," Ng said.

He said the aviation school would be "the first of its kind in Asia," adding that its operations would solve the shortage of Filipino pilots who are being pirated by foreign companies.

"Filipino pilots are in demand in other countries because of their command of the English language and their exceptional skills. Familiarity with the English language is now a basic requirement of the US Federal Aviation Administration and the Canada-based International Civil Aviation Organization," Ng said. - Ding Cervantes, Ric Sapnu