1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,880 Speaker 1: Warnings that staff and shortages could spell big problems for 2 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:06,480 Speaker 1: our airlines. Our air traffic controllers can't start on the job, 3 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:08,879 Speaker 1: by the way, until they're twenty one, apparently getting poached 4 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:11,760 Speaker 1: off short places like the Middle East of big salary packages. 5 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:15,600 Speaker 1: Simon Wallace, Aviation Industry Association CEO with me this morning. Simon, 6 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:18,880 Speaker 1: good morning, Good morning Ryan. Who's poaching them and how 7 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:19,799 Speaker 1: much are they offering? 8 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:25,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, there's obviously a growing number of services airlines rapidly 9 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:28,600 Speaker 2: expanding in the Middle East and South Asia, so that 10 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:32,200 Speaker 2: requires a need for a lot more air traffic controllers. 11 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:35,560 Speaker 2: So those are the countries that are taking our well 12 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:39,800 Speaker 2: qualified air traffic controllers at very competitive salaries, and we're 13 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:42,199 Speaker 2: talking to hundreds of thousands of dollars here, Ryans, So 14 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:45,360 Speaker 2: we can't compete on that here in New Zealand. So 15 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:47,880 Speaker 2: we've got to look at the conditions that we're offering 16 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:50,960 Speaker 2: around lifestyle, work, life, balance, all those sorts of other 17 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 2: things to try and keep our air traffic controllers here. 18 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: So what would your average air traffic controller be paid 19 00:00:57,080 --> 00:00:59,520 Speaker 1: here and how much could they get there? Roughly? 20 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 2: Well, yeah, after twelve to eighteen months training by airways, 21 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:07,960 Speaker 2: who train Our ear traffic controllers. Starting salary round is 22 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:09,760 Speaker 2: around about one hundred and ten to one hundred and 23 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 2: fifteen k, so that's a pretty good, pretty good start 24 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:15,679 Speaker 2: out salary for a young person and it goes up 25 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 2: from there. But you know, the Middle Eastern countries, you 26 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:23,480 Speaker 2: know UAU guitar, they are offering figures a lot more 27 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:27,000 Speaker 2: than that. Of course it varies according to which country 28 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:29,119 Speaker 2: they go to, but a lot more than that, as 29 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:30,399 Speaker 2: I say, in the hundreds of thousands of. 30 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 1: Dollars, right, So we train them, then they punched them. 31 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:36,400 Speaker 1: Why don't we bond them. 32 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 2: Look, that's something that I think that airways will be 33 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 2: looking at. You would need to talk to them. They 34 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:46,120 Speaker 2: run the training. But you know, it is not just 35 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 2: air traffic controllers that we've got a problem with. With 36 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 2: aviation here in New Zealand and Ryan, we're incredibly short 37 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:56,840 Speaker 2: of aviation engineers, I guess, the less sexy part of 38 00:01:57,240 --> 00:02:00,840 Speaker 2: the industry, and we're short of more the three hundred 39 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:05,000 Speaker 2: engineers out of a workforce of three thousand. So you know, 40 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 2: we've got shortages of traffic controllers, engineers, pilots across all 41 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 2: those vidal occupations in the system. 42 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:14,520 Speaker 1: Simon, is it true that you can't start in the 43 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:17,800 Speaker 1: job air traffic control until you're twenty one? And if so, why. 44 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 2: That's a rule. Yeah, that is correct, and that's a 45 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 2: rule that's set down by the Civil Aviation Authority under 46 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:27,160 Speaker 2: the licensing system. And I know that when are aways 47 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 2: prepaid for the Select Committee last week, that's something that 48 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:33,079 Speaker 2: they want to get changed. So that requires a will 49 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:38,639 Speaker 2: and away from the regulator and others. But certainly one 50 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:39,920 Speaker 2: thing that needs to be looked at. 51 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,960 Speaker 1: Is that just because we think they're more responsible and 52 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: reasonable and make better decisions that sort of thing. 53 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that. I think that's a big part 54 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:51,839 Speaker 2: of it. Ryan at twenty one, that's the figure that's 55 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 2: been put on it. But I think that needs to 56 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:57,400 Speaker 2: be looked at when we have this problem with our 57 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 2: air traffic control being poached off. 58 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:03,360 Speaker 1: And Simon, just give us the overview here. How bad 59 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:06,840 Speaker 1: is the shortage of all of the aforementioned Is it 60 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 1: going to mean that we can't fly one day or 61 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:10,760 Speaker 1: what does it mean? 62 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:14,680 Speaker 2: Well, engineers, is the real need right at the moment 63 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:17,400 Speaker 2: of a set three hundred short and that is causing 64 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:20,720 Speaker 2: problems through the whole system. Economic co operational thiss. You know 65 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 2: you're seeing we're already seeing flights being delayed, but it's 66 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:26,720 Speaker 2: across what we call the whole general aviation system, which 67 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 2: is agricultural aviation, contracting, emergency services. You know, when you 68 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 2: can't get an engineer to fix a plane and safety 69 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:38,120 Speaker 2: is paramount, you know that plane is grounded and you 70 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 2: can't operate or do those services. So this is an 71 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 2: issue that has been looked at by this new Aviation 72 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:47,520 Speaker 2: Council and the action plan that was launched by James 73 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 2: Meaga a couple of months ago. It's not just a 74 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:51,880 Speaker 2: white paper. It's got some clear actions in there with 75 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 2: workforce fronts and centers. So you know there's some work 76 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 2: being done with between industry and government and that's that's 77 00:03:58,360 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 2: coming to the fore in a few weeks time. 78 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:02,960 Speaker 1: Simon preciate your time this morning. That Simon Wallace, Aviation 79 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 1: Industry Associations CEO for more. 80 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 2: From Early Edition with Ryan Bridge. 81 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 1: Listen live to News Talks at B from five a m. 82 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:13,600 Speaker 2: Weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.