“The profession of pilot highly resembles that of a physician in Romania. Just like physicians, experienced Romanian pilots are going abroad to work for much higher salaries,” said Adrian Marinescu, general manager of the Romanian Aviation Academy, set up in 1999.
“Whereas the exodus in the medical field started several years
ago, in aviation I believe it started last year,” he added.
More than 350 Romanians graduated the Academy over the past twelve
years, becoming commercial pilots, with dozens of them working for
foreign airlines.
The state grants around 20 scholarships annually for aircraft
pilots and those who fail to get one pay EUR68,000 to be trained as
an airplane pilots and EUR190,000 to be trained as a helicopter
pilot.
Those trained with public funds are required to work for Romanian companies for five years, and after they gain experience in the field most of them submit their CVs to foreign airlines, Romanian Aviation Academy officials say.
Training an airplane pilot generally costs around EUR100,000,
with 70-75% of the money coming from the state budget and the rest
being invested by the airline where the pilot finds a job.
While training costs are largely covered by the Romanian state,
Romanian airlines bring experienced foreign pilots to slash costs
of training of young graduates.
In Romania, there are cases where low-cost airlines pay entry-level
pilots only RON700 (EUR167) until they complete the 1,500 hours of
flight required to keep their airline transport pilot license,
Marinescu said.
A pilot’s salary may in some cases be as high as EUR2,000.
Salaries in the field largely depend on the number of flight
hours, on the employer and routes. Airplane pilots start earning a
good salary when they are about 40. An airplane captain may earn as
much as EUR10,000 per month, according to Marinescu.
He says there is a shortage of about 2,000 airplane pilots in
Europe while Romania needs about 10 to 20 pilots a year.