The government of Japan plans to allow airlines to organise their own training programmes for captains, in order to address a shortage of pilots stemming from the rise of budget airlines, a transport ministry source told The Japan Times.
It would be the first major change to the training system since it was put in place in 1958. Under the current system, captains are trained under a uniformed framework designated by the state.
The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry envisions revising regulations under the aviation law and accepting applications from airlines as early as next spring, the source said told the newspaper.
As the state would need to verify the airlines’ training programmes, it would likely take two to three years to implement the new system, according to the source. The current training framework would also be maintained.
All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines have already started preparing for the new system, the source added.
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(Image credit: Japan Airlines)
