ICAO, the International Civil Aviation Organisation, based in Montreal, hosted a summit on Monday and Tuesday that was a first for the UN agency.
The ‘Next Generation of Aviation Professionals Summit’, brought together more than five hundred delegates from 85 countries to discuss the challenges facing the sector in this new millennium.
It provided the opportunity for encounters and connections between academia, governments and the industries.
“Aviation is continuing to grow all around the world and we may not have enough people to support the system”
Dawn Flanagan, of the Air Navigation Bureau at ICAO says “aviation is continuing to grow all around the world and we may not have enough people to support the system.”
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Flanagan says pilots, controllers and engineers are among the key professions they need to identify new staff for, in the future.
The industry is beginning to address the convergence of the looming shortage of pilots and the increase in regional air routes being created in China and on the continent of Africa.
Pilots trained and educated in Canada and the United States are working their way up from regional carriers to major airlines only to be lured away to work in other parts of the world.
Underpinning these challenges, is the loss of the allure of the sky.
Flanagan explains that where children once dreamed of growing up to be pilots, they’re now envisioning a future in gaming.
ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu, of China, referred to the trend in her opening speech on Monday:
“Montreal, for instance, has lately been establishing itself as a global leader for careers in gaming and artificial intelligence, a dynamic which may threaten this region’s sustainability as the third largest aerospace manufacturing hub in the world.”
But Dawn Flanagan said this meeting allowed for the exchange of some innovative solutions and strategies to attract children and young people and renew the interest in aviation.
She described a presentation from Brazil on how they are developing aviation training by using gaming.
Western Michigan University, from the United States, has developed hololens training.
Flanagan says training must now move in this interactive and hands-on direction, leaving classroom instruction to a minimum.
The delegates were also treated to a presentation by Captain Shaesta Waiz, the first Afghan-American female pilot.
Captain Waiz just completed her around-the-world solo flight in October, a journey that included 30 stops in 22 countries. In each location she met students in an effort to inspire them, young girls specifically, to consider STEM careers (that’s the acronym for science, technology, engineering and math).
Dawn Flanagan says collaboration and co-operation are key as different countries plan for the their future, and work to inspire and create greater diversity in the next generation of aviation professionals.
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