APATS 2025: Bridging Ab Initio to Airlines

Key Takeaways

• Airlines prioritize soft skills assessment alongside technical competencies, seeking "operators" rather than just "pilots".
• Boeing projects a need for 600,000 pilots over the next 20 years, creating urgent demand for qualified candidates.
• Main failure points include ATPL knowledge consolidation, basic IFR skills, threat and error management, and communication.
• Technology integration (FMS, advanced simulators, e-learning) is essential for modern training standards.
• Flight instructor shortage represents the industry's most enduring challenge, requiring creative solutions and higher compensation.

 

At the Asia Pacific Aviation Training Summit (APATS) 2025 in Singapore, George Triantafyllidis, Chief Commercial Officer of Egnatia Aviation, delivered a comprehensive presentation on bridging the critical gap between ab initio training and airline operations. His insights reveal the fundamental shifts needed in flight training philosophy to meet the aviation industry's unprecedented pilot demand.

 

Interested in more discussions on Ab Initio? Make sure you save your seat for EATS this November. Find more about the upcoming Ab Initio Presentation here.

 

Understanding the Customer-Product Relationship

Triantafyllidis opened with a paradigm-shifting perspective that challenges traditional flight school thinking. "The actual customer is the airline," he emphasized. "The students themselves, the cadets themselves, are the products. So we need to make sure that they are actually made or prepared according to the airline standards."

This customer-product framework fundamentally changes how flight schools approach training, requiring alignment with airline expectations rather than merely meeting regulatory minimums.

The Scale of Pilot Demand

The presentation emphasized Boeing's annual report projecting a remarkable demand for pilots. "They're talking about 600,000 pilots for the next 20 years," Triantafyllidis noted. "To be honest, it's not easy to get this number."

This massive demand creates both opportunity and pressure for flight schools to produce airline-ready pilots efficiently while maintaining quality standards.

Core Solutions for Gap Bridging

Airlines cannot afford to compromise on safety or reputation. "Airline reputation is at stake. They will not risk for any reason to get under-trained or not qualified pilots because an incident or an accident could actually mess up their reputation," Triantafyllidis explained.

This reality drives airlines to partner with Approved Training Organizations (ATOs) that demonstrate consistent quality and reliability in their training programs.

Implementing Airline SOPs and CRM

Consistency in Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) emerged as a critical requirement. "It is extremely important to implement CRM throughout the training, threat and error management, and we need to adhere to SOPs and checklists before and after each flight."

The integration of Crew Resource Management (CRM) and proper briefing and debriefing procedures must become routine practice throughout flight school training, not just introduced during airline transition.

Technology Integration

Modern airlines expect technologically literate pilots. Triantafyllidis emphasized the importance of Flight Management Systems (FMS), advanced simulators, and e-learning platforms. "Airline partners are not expecting students to go through books. They are expecting an iPad. They expect online access. They are expecting modernization."

A major airline operations director reinforced this point, telling Triantafyllidis that "cadets that are using e-learning and CBT tools are getting a higher advantage in terms of getting absorbed by the airline industry."

The Soft Skills Revolution

Airlines now prioritize comprehensive candidate assessment. "It's not only about the technical skills anymore. Airlines are looking into the soft skills assessment as well," Triantafyllidis observed.

Airlines seek candidates who demonstrate passion, motivation, decision-making ability, goal orientation, stress management, team orientation, and commitment to continuous education.

The Operator vs. Pilot Distinction

Triantafyllidis illustrated the difference between basic certification and professional employability using a driving analogy. Just as holding a driver's license doesn't automatically qualify someone for specialized roles like VIP limousine driving, having a pilot's license alone isn't enough for airline employment.

"In the first case, they are talking about technical assessment. In the second case, you're looking about technical and soft skills."

"This is exactly what airlines are looking for, someone that is actually an operator, not just a pilot, if you get my point. So it can take decisions, you can make sure that they can go through all the difficult situations or problems to solve."

Common Failure Points

Triantafyllidis identified four primary areas where cadets struggle during airline transition. First, many pilots fail to properly consolidate Human Performance and Limitations (HPL) knowledge. "People think that HPL theory is something that we need to go through and that's it," he explained, when in reality these concepts must be actively applied throughout a pilot's career.

Basic instrument flying skills also present surprising deficiencies. "There are CPL graduates. They cannot even conduct an ILS, not even in the simulator," he noted, highlighting gaps in fundamental competencies that airlines expect to be solid.

Additionally, candidates often fail to adopt threat and error management concepts, despite their critical importance for airline safety culture. Finally, communication remains a persistent challenge, with "pure communication, interpersonal soft skills" being essential areas where many cadets fall short of airline expectations.

Ongoing Airline Engagement and Mentorship

Direct airline engagement provides students with realistic expectations and maintains motivation through challenging training periods.

The presentation also highlighted the value of peer mentorship: "We've got cadets from the APS MCC level staying together with beginners in changing views... beginners are actually getting what they will be expecting throughout the flight school."

Addressing the Instructor Crisis

"Someone could say, George, what's the biggest challenge? My opinion, flight instructor shortage," Triantafyllidis revealed. "If we are talking about pilot shortage, imagine what's happening with flight instructors."

Airlines recruiting instructors directly from flight schools exacerbates this problem, creating a cycle where schools struggle to maintain adequate instructional capacity.

Proposed Solutions

Solutions include higher salaries, incentives, and recruiting retired military pilots who “retire when they're 45, 46, 47— they're still young. They can become flight instructors. Why not?”

Global Adaptation Strategy

Flight schools must remain flexible to meet the diverse demands of the market. "We need to adapt to what the customer needs," Triantafyllidis explained, describing how his Greek flight school operates under various international authorities, including the UAE and Qatar, to serve different airline customers.

The Flight School Philosophy

The presentation concluded with seven essential principles for modern flight schools:

1. Listen and adapt to airline industry challenges

2. Implement selection processes based on airline requirements

3. Mirror airline procedures and methodology daily

4. Maintain SMS safety management systems linked to customer airlines

5. Provide customer Airlines online access to cadet’s records.

6. Focus on the student’s character, personality, and attitude.

7. Employ experienced personnel in safety, quality, and standardization

The Ultimate Goal

Triantafyllidis emphasized the fundamental shift required in flight training philosophy: "We need to treat every student pilot as an airline pilot from day one, because the final goal is not just getting a license... The final goal is to create pilots for a successful airline career."

This comprehensive approach to bridging the ab initio-to-airline gap represents a fundamental evolution in flight training, requiring schools to think beyond regulatory compliance toward true airline partnership and cadet career success. The aviation industry's future depends on this collaborative approach to pilot development.

 

The conversation on Ab Initio training will continue at the European Aviation Training Summit (EATS), where Arturo Weiss, Aviation Communications Coaching & Consultant at AW Coaching, will present From Adequate to Effective: Personalizing Ab Initio Training Through Pre-Arrival Assessment, focusing on how tailored pre-arrival assessments can enhance ab initio pilot training outcomes.

Register for EATS 2025!