Jetstar defends recruitment of offshore pilots

Jetstar Group CEO Bruce Buchanan defended the carrier's pilot recruitment, following accusations from unions that overseas staff are being hired with only 200 hours of flying experience (Sydney Morning Herald, 16-Nov-2010). Mr Buchanan stated the LCCs expansion in Asia is not a ploy to recruit staff with less experience and lower pay.

Jetstar: "We're putting very experienced captains in our aircraft. Thirty or 40 captains [recruited] in the past 12 months [had] an average of about 9000 hours. The reality is at Jetstar, we're a very attractive option for pilots. We've got 787, widebodies, an expanding network, career progression, we're profitable, we offer job security. What does that mean for a pilots' union? We're a threat," Bruce Buchanan, Group CEO. Source: Sydney Morning Herald, 16-Nov-2010.