Shock over foreign pilots

CATHERINE SASMAN The Namibia Cabin Crew Union (NCCU) says it is shocked that Air Namibia intends to employ foreign pilots at salaries of between N$138 695 to N$150 392 a month. NCCU president Willem Christiaan and the union’s legal advisor, Reginald Kock, claimed these salaries are tax-free and excludes bonuses, S&Ts and accommodation the airline would have to pay. They also claimed Air Namibia intends to employ the foreign pilots on two-year contracts, contrary to claims they will receive six-month ad hoc contracts. They dismissed as “nonsense, Air Namibia’s argument that the salary packages are market-related in terms of international standards.“We cannot agree with management that the required skills are not available locally. Have they (Air Namibia’s management) done a local skills audit? We have Namibian pilots employed by the airline who have the necessary skills and experience to be promoted to captain our fleets. We do not need foreign captains,” Christiaan said. “They are simply not investing in and empowering our Namibian people.”Christiaan claimed further no applications were made to the employment and exemption boards to have more foreign pilots recruited, and to have them employed without Namibian understudies. The NCCU has initiated an investigation to ascertain whether the foreign pilots have work permits, if exemptions had been granted and whether the Employment Equity Commission was sufficiently informed. It said its members have not received salary increments since 2016.The union said the airline has also cut food and beverage services, as well as entertainment on long-haul flights, in a bid to slash operational costs. The union demanded that works and public enterprises ministers, John Mutorwa and Leon Jooste, initiate a proper audit of the airline’s salaries and benefits to ensure fairness. It also wants and immediate investigation into why Namibian pilots are not being promoted and into what is being done to avoid employing foreigners at great expense. Christiaan said Air Namibia seems to prefer the appointment of foreign pilots because they are not unionised.To justify its recruitment of foreign pilots, Air Namibia said no country is totally self-sufficient and needs skills support in specific fields.It said 90% of its pilots are Namibians who are trained locally. The airline said it spends nearly N$30 million a year to train local pilots, of whom 40% are from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, including 20 women.“Pilots for the types of aircraft utilised by Air Namibia are not easily found in Africa although that is slowly changing. Rules and regulations around pilots, their flying times, their licensing, and so forth, are extremely rigid and need to be adhered to at all times, simply from a compliance and safety point of view. This means that there needs to be a sizeable contingent of pilots for Air Namibia to choose from,” Air Namibia’s spokesperson Paul Nakawa said.“Foreign pilots are employed on an ad hoc basis, for a period of six months renewable, until we find a local pilot to fill that position.”

Shock over foreign pilots

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-29

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Shock over foreign pilots

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-29

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