Malaysia Airlines, which recently launched ‘Project Landscape’, an initiative to train and qualify a new generation of aviation professionals, expects to complete the training of the first batch of pilots under this initiative by 2025. 

“Project Landscape was designed to establish a new qualification standard for its pilots. As we drive towards Long-Term Business Plan 2.0 (LTBP2.0), it is crucial for Malaysia Airlines to continue positioning itself as a sustainable organisation that is future ready. The pilots now need more than just the skills to fly an aircraft – we will also be looking for those who have the potential for leadership and management capabilities,” Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi, Group Chief Operations Officer of Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB), told CAT. 

The new standard for pilot recruitment with a refreshed qualification level is being undertaken by the airline as part of LTBP2.0, meeting the regulatory training requirements set by Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM). 

The Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) is also looking to establish a new qualification standard for their pilots, earning them Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) approved diploma and degree via programmes designed to increase their credentials prior to their commencement as the national carrier’s pilots. 

Speaking on the status of the carrier’s existing Airbus A380 pilots, Azmi said all of them had been retrained on a new aircraft type mainly the A330. 

The airline recently began to re-hire cabin crew whose contract ended in 2020-2021, and ramp-up recruitment for critical operational employees such as ground handlers and front-line employees. “We anticipate challenges in the recruitment market, especially for the in-demand skilled personnel but these can be mitigated through the continuous reskilling effort by our training arm, MAB Academy and other development programmes curated organisation-wide to sustain the company’s pipelines,” Azmi said. 

The Malaysian carrier, had also launched an upskilling and reskilling programme for employees called ‘MH EDGILE’ in 2020. The programme was opened to more than 2,000 employees, mainly pilots, cabin crew and other front-line community who were affected due to the reduced network and operational capacity. According to Azmi, MH EDGILE provided opportunities for the airline’s employees to be upskilled and reskilled for other job competencies either in specialised competency such as facilities management and audit, or general and trainable areas such as sales and IT helpdesk.