AB flying schools struggle to stay open despite demand for pilots

CBC reports that Alberta flight schools are struggling to operate and stay open, even with a high demand for trained commercial pilots in Canada. Industry professionals state that the high costs of flight training, which range between $70K and $80K, and low coverage from Alberta’s student aid system are making flight school inaccessible. They also report that newly graduated pilots have few incentives to become flight instructors instead of going to work in high-paying roles at larger airlines. These shortages have been exacerbated by COVID-19. CBC reports that several flying schools have taken steps to adapt to these shortages. For example, Cooking Lake Aviation has partnered with Solomon College to offer a training program since new pilots with degrees are more likely to succeed in the industry. CBC Note: Archived stories may contain dead links or be missing source links.