Airlines urged to accept qualified pilots without college degrees

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga, Philippines — Projecting that some 250,000 pilots will be needed in the Asia-Pacific region in the next 20 years, administrators of a flying school here have urged airline companies to employ senior high school graduates who have finished flying courses.

“Most international and local airlines require a bachelor’s degree on top of a pilot’s license of one who finished a full flying course,” Ruel Rombaoa, information officer of the Alpha Aviation Group (AAG), said over the weekend.

The AAG is reportedly one of the few flying schools nationwide equipped with flight simulators.

The school uses Airbus 320 simulators to train their students.

Rombaoa said that while the tuition for a full flying course is expensive, the salary of commercial pilots ranges from P250,000 to P500,000 per month. 

He said the tuition for a full flying course of 18 to 25  months could cost about P4.5 million. Installment schemes for tuition payment can be arranged with the school.