The case in summary: The government proposes to remove the extended student loan for students who take pilot training through private schools. 90 percent of all trained pilots in Norway are trained by private schools. According to NHO Luftfart, removal of the loan scheme could lead to a decrease in the number of applicants of between 50 and 70 per cent. NHO Luftfart fears that this will lead to a collapse in the education of helicopter pilots. Pilots and companies such as CHC Helikopter Service express concern for the future, as they are already struggling to recruit enough pilots. State Secretary for Research and Higher Education, Ivar B. Prestbakmo (Sp), believes that the current model places too great a risk on individual students. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – If Norwegian girls and boys cannot afford to train to become pilots, then we will have a problem in the future in Norway. We are dependent on recruiting Norwegian pilots. That’s what Stig Ove Saure says, who is a pilot on the rescue helicopter of CHC Helikopter Service in Tromsø. Today, students at private flight schools can get an additional student loan of NOK 420,000 per year over two years, to finance the expensive education. In its proposal for the state budget for 2025, the government proposes to remove the current scheme, and equate the student loan scheme with other studies. Pilot of the rescue helicopter, Stig Ove Saure. Photo: Øystein Antonsen / news Saure believes the government has not understood well enough what consequences it may have. – It is a rather complex picture. There are many socially critical functions that are carried out by helicopters in Norway, he says. Nordnytt feature: Fear of a shortage of pilots following a new proposal from the government. Pilot shortage Head of aviation operations at CHC Helikopter Service, André van Niekerk, is also worried about the future. The company employs 110 pilots. In addition to operating rescue helicopters, they also perform other critical societal functions. Such as work with power supplies, telecommunications lines and data cables. According to van Niekerk, several of their pilots will soon retire. – We are already struggling to get hold of enough pilots. In the next two years, we will have to employ up to 50 pilots, but we are not sure where we will find those pilots, he says. Operations manager at CHC Helikopter Servicer, André van Niekerk. Photo: Øystein Antonsen / news According to van Niekerk, in the worst case scenario, this could lead to rescue helicopters having to stand on the ground for periods of time. – If we don’t have enough pilots, we can’t fly. It’s as simple as that, he says. – We prioritize the rescue helicopters. But without a properly trained pilot, you cannot fly a rescue helicopter. It is a very difficult service for which we use our best pilots. – We cannot defend a model where schools place such a large risk on individual students, when so many are admitted without completing their education, says State Secretary for Research and Higher Education, Ivar B. Prestbakmo (Sp). This is what it costs to become a pilot in Norway: Pilot Flight Academy at Torp in Sandefjord: From January 2025 it will cost NOK 1,260,000 plus an enrollment cost of NOK 30,000. The amounts are deducted throughout the study period as progress is achieved, and if the study is terminated before completion, the remaining amount is refunded from the student account. The ironing percentage in 2023 was 12.7 per cent. PFA had an operating profit of minus NOK 41.4 million in 2023. European Helicopter Center AS, also at Torp in Sandefjord. A basic education costs NOK 1,050,000 from February 2025. NOK 50,000. Remaining school fees are paid in equal installments four times a year. EHC students had a failure rate of 18.3 per cent in 2023. EHC had an operating profit of minus NOK 9.8 million in 2023. OSM Aviation Acedemy, in Arendal Costs NOK 1,145,000, and is paid gradually throughout the semesters. It is not known how many fail OSM. OSM had an operating profit of minus NOK 4.2 million in 2023. Oslo Flight Academy, at Stabekk. Educates both in Norway and the USA, and has listed a price for a full course of study of NOK 1,030,000. It is not known how many fail the OFA. Left with a loss of NOK 455,000 in 2023. UIT – Norway’s Arctic University in Tromsø trains pilots, and is the only public All flight lessons under the auspices of UiT are free, but registration for ATPL theory tests in ATPL (Airline Transport Piloting License) and skills test in The students must pay for the CPL themselves. In addition, the Norwegian Defense Academy and the Norwegian Air Force train their own pilots and navigators at Bardufoss, Trondheim and in the USA. If you get in there, the education is free. Major decline Today there are four private flight schools in Norway: Pilot Flight Academy at Torp, European Helicopter Center at Torp, OSM Aviation Academy at Gullknapp and Oslo Flight Academy at Kjeller. The Air Force’s flight school admits 50 students each year, but not all graduate. In addition, there is a state-funded study offer at UiT Norway’s Arctic University for civilian pilots. Several of the private flight schools are run in collaboration with the major airlines in Norway. In 2017, the schools gained access to extended student loans for their students. According to figures from NHO Luftfart, the state offer accounts for less than 10 per cent of the number of pilots being trained, while the rest are trained at the private schools. The private schools do not receive government support, and the education is fully financed by the students themselves. Today, they can get an additional student loan of NOK 420,000 per year over two years. According to Statistics Norway, the average salary for pilots is NOK 1,229,000 in 2023. According to the private flight schools, they expect a decrease in the number of applicants of between 50 and 70 percent if the loan scheme is removed. – It will be very difficult for Norwegian boys and girls to start pilot training. It will simply be too expensive, and it will be difficult to manage to finance this privately, says director of NHO Luftfart, Erik Lahnstein. director of NHO Aviation, Erik Lahnstein Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB He believes that there will be dramatic consequences for Norwegian aviation if this student loan is removed. – Both globally and in Norway, there is a great shortage of pilots. We expect growth in that market, and there are many pilots who will retire, says Lahnstein. – This means that in a relatively short time we will experience that it can be challenging to solve basic societal tasks in a good way. UiT – Norway’s Arctic University is the only state-funded civilian pilot education in Norway. The airline has had major start-up problems in recent years. Pilot Eskil Amdal performs aerial acrobatics with an F16 fighter. – Galskap Lahnstein believes it is also extremely important that pilots are trained in Norway and Scandinavia. – It is quite obvious that we need pilots who are not only professionally skilled, but who know the Norwegian climate, Norwegian topography, and who are able to communicate effectively in a Nordic language when there are critical situations. He believes the government has not investigated the proposal that is on the table well enough. – Our clear impression is that everyone sees that this is madness, says Lahnstein. – The consequences for the airlines and the ability to take care of basic social functions have not been considered. My clear expectation is that the government and the Storting actually reverse the proposal before it is adopted. Doctor Frode Sørensen, in the rescue service. Photo: Øystein Antonsen / news Frode Sørensen works as a doctor on the rescue helicopter in Tromsø. He is aware of the importance of the pilots being familiar with the local conditions. – It is a great advantage that the pilots we fly with are Norwegian or Nordic. In the long term, if there is poor recruitment of Norwegian pilots, we will have challenges with communication and decisions in bad weather, he says. – We operate in all kinds of weather, and often in really bad weather. It is then important to have pilots who are familiar with the area and the climate. Wants to harmonize with EEA rules Ivar B. Prestbakmo is state secretary for research and higher education, he says the government wants to liquidate all extra loans related to airline pilot training. – Partly because the current model is based on the student footing most of the bill for an expensive education, and many are left with millions in debt without completing their education, says Prestbakmo to news. He believes that the private pilot schools pose a great risk to individual students, since many are admitted without completing their education. Ivar B. Prestbakmo (Sp) is State Secretary for Research and Higher Education. Photo: Fathia Mahmoud Farah / news Wants airlines to bear more risk He believes that the requirements for training and employment as a pilot are different in Norway, and that this is contrary to the EEA rules. – We have committed ourselves to not creating our own rules that treat Norwegian schools differently than schools in Europe. Prestbakmo says they will meet NHO Luftfart during the week. – We are excited to hear what they think could be a solution for a sector that is based on the student taking all the risk, not the employer as has been the case in the past, and as it still is in many European countries, he says. Published 11.11.2024, at 20.29 Updated 11.11.2024, at 20.50
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Thinks the government’s proposal could lead to a shortage of pilots in Norway – news Troms and Finnmark
