Cathay says three cadet pilots removed from US training program

Cathay Pacific Airways confirmed Wednesday that it has removed three cadet pilots from one of its sponsored training programs in the US following their non-compliance with incident reporting requirements.

The announcement comes after the AeroGuard Flight Training Center – a Phoenix, Arizona-based pilot school – suspended all solo flights for Cathay cadets earlier this month after "an alarming increase" of cadet training incidents that damaged planes and worse, went unreported by the trainee aircrew.

The incidents included one involving a wingtip collision with a fixed object, one about a bounced landing leading to a substantial prop strike on the runway and a complete runway excursion recently. The students failed to properly report the damage in two of the three instances.

The Hong Kong-based carrier said in the statement that after a comprehensive investigation conducted by the airline and the training school as well as relevant authorities, the three concerned cadet pilots have been removed from its Cadet Pilot Training Program.

"We have a zero-tolerance approach to non-compliance with flight incident reporting requirements," Cathay's Director Flight Operations Captain Chris Kempis said.

Cathay said that solo operations involving the airline's sponsored pilots at AeroGuard have now resumed after the program was suspended while the investigation was being conducted.

The carrier stressed that it has an extremely stringent recruitment and assessment process for its cadets, with "less than 8 percent of the applicants being accepted onto the program and able to complete the training and assessment to becoming a Second Officer."

"All qualifying cadet pilots after graduation from their initial 60-week course are required to undergo further induction training in order to join the company and be endorsed as Second Officers on one of Cathay Pacific's aircraft types," the statement wrote.