AVIATION: BOOM OR BUST? It would be hard to write a post right now without referencing the current global situation regarding Covid-19. First of all, to anyone who has been affected by this virus, my prayers go out to you. I remain positive and hopeful that we will overcome this and be stronger as a result.
The burning question I’m getting asked recently is “how is this affecting your training?”. The truthful answer is: massively.
As the Coronavirus started taking hold, I could see things changing within the aviation world. I work part-time at my local airport where most of the flights were Flybe. Of course there had been rumours and whispers circling regarding Flybe but a part of me sincerely thought they would be fine.
How wrong was I. Sadly, the evening Flybe announced that everything was coming to a grinding halt, I literally lost all the shifts I had been given. I was on my way into the at 330am the following morning and had a call to say I’m no longer needed as there were zero flights outbound or inbound. I guess it hadn’t quite sunk in really. But it sure did when I got home.
Not only was it sad for the South West to lose our regional airline, but it was also gutting to see the crew who I had come to know lose their jobs so suddenly. It was quite a strange experience to go through firsthand to be honest. We have unfortunately seen other airlines go under in recent times but its only when you actually go through it in person that you realise the full impact.The current situation is that, with so many airlines now making a lot of their pilots and cabin crew redundant, the future for newly examined pilots becomes more and more unclear. In a way I am quite lucky as I haven’t finished my training yet but it doesn’t stop me wondering how it will be when I do come out the other end. On top of that, I really feel for my colleagues at Aviation South West as many have completed their training in recent months and were applying for jobs when this all kicked off. At the moment all I can do is keep my head down and keep going. Afterall, what will be will be.
So do I think the aviation world is doomed? Absolutely not! We have overcome the atrocities of 9/11, the 2008 recession and past global pandemics. In fact I would like to think that once this has all past, the aviation industry will thrive once again. Afterall, aviation is what has made our world so much smaller and accessible to all.
I believe its a matter of when not if. In the meantime, everyone stay safe please. Drop me a message if you have any questions, I’d love to hear from you!
AVIATION: BOOM OR BUST?
