DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Over 50 industry leaders gathered together during the first ever Pilot Training Industry Leadership Networking event at the 2021 Dubai Airshow. The event has become an avenue for industry leaders and experts to discuss the effects of the pandemic on the global pilot training industry, share each organization’s best practices, and collaborate on how training organizations will be able to support and meet the training requirements and the demand for pilots in the coming years as the world emerges from the effects of the pandemic.
Being a part of the Global Flight School panel, AAG’s Regional Director for Asia Pacific, Mr. Cristopher Magdangal, shares how the pandemic affected Southeast Asia, the disruptions and challenges encountered by ATOs, and AAG’s response to the effects of the pandemic on its overall operations. He underscored how the AAG Family’s firm commitment to its Mission, to “train and develop world-class pilots and future leaders for the aviation industry by providing top-of-class training solutions”, and Core Values of Service Excellence, Teamwork, and Customer Satisfaction, allowed the team to reach breakthroughs and milestones and contribute meaningfully to the community and industry amidst the pandemic.
“Preparedness, resiliency, and the strength of a united AAGP family enabled us to adapt to the changes and the challenges brought about by the pandemic. Through our ‘We are AAG Ready’ Campaign headed by the Task Force we formed, we were able to exhibit our commitment to help in the fight against COVID-19, our commitment to the speedy recovery of the aviation industry, and our commitment to resuming business operations under the “New Normal” and “Strictly Controlled Environment” conditions. As a result, AAG was the first locator in Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga to firm up its COVID-19 Preventive Measure (AAGP OH&SMS Manual Appendix 16) and the first ATO in the country to resume business operations. These milestones and best practices were also shared to other locators and organizations.
Another pressing concern back then was the re-entry of foreign students to the Philippines to continue their training. This has been experienced not just by AAG but the other ATOs in the country as well. So as the current president of the Aviation Schools Association of the Philippines (ASAP), our team worked with concerned offices and government agencies who can help us facilitate the safe return / entry of foreign trainees. All these efforts and initiatives are testament of our commitment to support and sustain the industry’s recovery and growth, all part of AAG’s long-term and forward-looking Value Creation and Sharing,” stressed RD Cris.
The Pilot Training Industry Leadership Networking event was organized by AFM.aero, a Dubai-headquartered pilot training industry market intelligence platform and advisory firm, and Emirates Flight Training Academy (EFTA), the pilot training school of Emirates Airline. The event took place on the second day of Dubai Airshow and featured attendees from all corners of the globe – from the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle-East.