Hong Kong aviation academy plans low-altitude economy training centre to address pilot shortage
The Hong Kong International Aviation Academy plans to establish a dedicated low-altitude economy training centre as demand grows for specialised pilots and maintenance personnel, its president Simon Li Tin-chui said on Tuesday.
The Hong Kong International Aviation Academy plans to establish a dedicated low-altitude economy training centre as demand grows for specialised pilots and maintenance personnel, its president Simon Li Tin-chui said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a low-altitude economy forum co-organised by the academy and Super Terminal Expo, Li said major markets were moving quickly to develop the sector. He cited commercial flight certifications in mainland China, updates to airworthiness frameworks in the United States and Europe, and the development of vertiports in Dubai as signs that low-altitude aviation was moving from concept toward commercial deployment.
Li said the main constraint on future growth was not hardware or investment, but a shortage of specialised talent, particularly qualified pilots. With the aviation industry already facing a shortage of commercial pilots, the expansion of urban air mobility was expected to create demand for tens of thousands of electric vertical take-off and landing, or eVTOL, pilots in the coming years, he said.
There are currently few certified commercial eVTOL pilots worldwide, Li said, with the sector relying largely on test pilots and a limited number of helicopter and fixed-wing pilots transitioning to the new aircraft. To address the gap, the academy is developing specialised training programmes for eVTOL pilots and maintenance personnel and plans to establish a low-altitude economy training centre combining classroom instruction with practical training.
Li said policy support alone would not be enough to build a sustainable low-altitude economy ecosystem. He said the industry should prioritise talent development and make use of Hong Kong’s role as a bridge between mainland China and international markets to build a credible training system.
At the expo, the academy’s booth features a drone flight simulator where visitors can practice the figure-eight manoeuvre required in the Civil Aviation Administration of China’s civil drone examination and learn more about the academy’s latest training programmes.