Aviation

Aviation is a major sector of the UK economy and contributes around £1.5 billion of direct economic value to the UK economy. Each year around 220 million passengers fly nearly 2 billion kilometres in UK-regulated airspace with a total of 2 million flights a year. It is a complex and diverse industry that includes:

• 200 aircraft operators and 80 balloon operators
• 16,600 aircraft
• 51,000 pilots
• 12,000 maintenance engineers
• 2,400 air traffic controllers
• 145 aerodromes
• 1,800 tour operators selling holidays to 28 million people.

The UK aviation safety record is three times better than the world average – the best in Europe – and 400 per cent better than it was in the mid-1970s. Over the same period, fatalities have fallen by 98 per cent.

There are more than 50 passenger-carrying airlines in the UK, with 200,000 people employed in air transport jobs, and a further 600,000 in aviation-related employment. This figure is set to rise as more and more people and freight move by air, despite reaction to 9/11 and fears of terrorism. Indeed, while some large carriers have experienced difficulties, budget airline operations have increased with aggressive marketing and route strategies. Around 3 million tones of cargo and well over £100 billion worth of trade passes through Britain’s airports every year.

Around 150 million passengers used the British Airports Authority’s (BAA’s) seven UK airports, two-thirds of the UK’s total, with nearly half of them travelling through Heathrow. Low-cost carriers account for over 20 per cent of all flights from these airports, with Stansted’s passenger numbers growing from around 1 million in 1991 to 22 million today. BAA directly employs around 12,000 staff, 9,000 of them at UK airports.

Such a huge industry requires a vast number of people with a wide variety of skills. Skills specific to aviation include:

• pilots and cabin crew
• passenger services staff
• aviation engineers
• airport operations
• ticketing and tourism
• cargo managers and handlers
• air traffic controllers.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) works to the Department of Transport, and is the industry’s regulator. It is charged with ensuring that civil aviation thrives and that the public is properly served by the industry, including adequate safety measures.

Aircraft movement is controlled by National Air Traffic Services Ltd (NATS), a wholly owned subsidiary of the CAA. It operates mainly at Swanwick, West Drayton, Manchester and Prestwick, but also provides air traffic control at 15 UK airports and has a training college in Hampshire. NATS employs more than 5,000 people.

Aviation in the Services

Clearly the Royal Air Force specialises in aviation with passenger and cargo operations, manages airspace, maintains aircraft fleets and runs air stations like any other large aviation organisation. The Royal Navy and the Army also have smaller aviation branches that carry out similar activities.

The routes from the Armed Forces into civil aviation are well established and many Service leavers have found successful second careers through following them. Holding the required licence is absolutely essential for civilian employment and can be expensive to obtain, so all pilots and engineers should ensure that they use the Service opportunities available to gain them. (For information on Aviation Engineering see the relevant article on our website at www.questonline.co.uk)

However, in view of the enormous number of non-aviation-specific jobs in the industry, it is entirely possible for many people in the Services to consider this as an area of potential employment. Indeed, many of the personal qualities and skills possessed by Service people are valued by major aviation employers.

Employment, training and qualifications

Airlines

Each individual airline employs its own flight crew (pilots and cabin crew), and will be able to advise anybody interested in such jobs about the qualifications they will need. Airlines run special training courses for candidates with the right aptitude for some of these positions, and have subcontracted other training to external suppliers. The personnel department of the airline will provide the criteria for each job and what each individual will need to be a candidate for it. Some general requirements are shown below.

Someone starting pilot training (as opposed to converting Service pilot experience) would:

• be aged between 18 and 26 and fluent in English, with a clear speaking voice
• have five GCSEs at grade C or above, including English language, maths and a science subject; and a minimum of two A-levels at grade C or above, or a second-class Honours degree
• be physically fit and between 5’2’ and 6’3’ tall, with normal vision
• attend an 18-month course at a CAA-approved flying school anywhere in the world.

Cabin crew should:

• be physically fit and a minimum of 5’2’ tall and 19 years old
• have GCSE grade C or above in English and maths
• be fluent in English and a second language, or possess a relevant qualification
• have customer service experience
• complete a 30-hour distance learning programme
• take a five-week training course
• be confirmed as a fully qualified cabin crew member after six months’ flying.

Passenger service staff issue and process tickets, check in passengers and baggage, and man information points. They need to:

• be aged at least 18
• have a year’s customer service experience
• have GCSE grade C or above in English and maths
• complete a six-week training course.

Airline operations and dispatch staff (often employed by aircraft handling companies on behalf of the airlines) ensure that everything is correctly prepared and loaded for the aircraft to depart on schedule. This involves, among other things, monitoring cleaning, catering, refuelling, cargo and baggage loading, and making weight and balance calculations, obtaining slots and sending operational messages. They need to:

• be aged at least 18
• have a minimum of GCSE grade C or above in English and maths
• hold a current driving licence and not be colour blind
• complete in-house training or follow an appropriate (120 hour) distance learning course.

Airline contact details can be found through the CAA website, and recruitment opportunities and procedures should be obtained from them.

Air traffic control

Air traffic controllers provide instructions, advice and information to pilots by radio to keep air traffic flying safely, efficiently and quickly. They deal with weather changes, unscheduled traffic, near misses and emergencies. Area controllers look after aircraft transiting an area along routes; approach controllers take over as pilots get close to airports and guide them into landing patterns; while aerodrome controllers cover take-off, landing and movement on the ground.

Air traffic controllers should:

• be between 18 and 30 years old (experienced ex-military applicants may be older)
• have five GCSEs at grade C or above, including English and maths; and have two A-levels/three Highers/one Vocational A-level or be in the final year of study
• attend an initial selection day, two further interviews, a computer assessment, and medical and security checks
• attend an 18-month course.

Airports

Thousands of different government agencies and businesses work at airports, ranging from huge airlines to local taxi drivers. As well as carrying out its own business functions, airport management has to look after its ‘lodger’ organisations. Some employment areas are:

• security, including general guarding, baggage inspection and personal search
• police, immigration and HM Customs & Excise
• medical, information, customer services and escorting
• driving and parking
• cleaning and maintenance
• restaurants, bars and cafés
• shops and duty-free facilities.

Behind these functions is a business operation that may be multinational, or perhaps just managing one relatively small airport. Applicants will require the appropriate qualifications for their employment; up to one-third of all airport jobs are security-related. Anyone working at an airport needs to hold an appropriate security pass, and the issue of passes is strictly controlled. Typical requirements are that potential holders have sufficient references, and can provide an unbroken record of employment or education for at least five years. Criminal records are investigated and it is unlikely that anyone with a record would be given a pass.

Useful contacts

Civil Aviation Authority, CAA House, 45–59 Kingsway, London WC2B 6TE Tel: 020 7379 7311 Website: www.caa.co.uk

CAA Safety Regulation Group, Aviation House, Gatwick Airport South, Gatwick, West Sussex RH6 0YR Tel: 01293 567171 Website: www.srg.caa.co.uk

Airlines recruit individually; the CAA website (see above) has useful links

British Airport Authority plc recruits by airport with no central department Website: www.baa.co.uk

National Air Traffic Services Ltd, Corporate and Technical Centre, 4000 Parkway, Whiteley, Fareham, Hampshire PO15 7FL Tel: 0800 0688299/01489 616001 Website: www.nats.co.uk