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Air Georgian Limited has signed a pilot recruitment agreement with Ottawa Aviation Services (OAS). The agreement will provide a gateway for pilots who work as flight instructors for OAS to be hired by Air Georgian as CRJ 100/200 first officers.
Air Georgian operates under the Air Canada Express banner for Air Canada, flying to 31 domestic and transborder destinations from bases in Toronto and Calgary. Air Georgian’s fleet of CRJ aircraft is located in Toronto primarily serving markets in the United States providing sixth freedom connections to Air Canada’s growing international network.
OAS has been offering flight training, maintenance and other aviation services for more than 15 years. OAS’s flight training division provides professional pilot trainees with efficient training to type rating.
Advanced ground school instruction including crew resource management and modern jet operation, coupled with modern glass cockpit, multi-engine and aerobatic aircraft, simulators and airline partnerships, OAS trains pilots in the skills and proficiency necessary to allow them to operate confidently in an airline environment such as Air Georgian.
“This is an exciting program that will provide benefits to everyone involved,” said Julie Mailhot, Air Georgian’s chief operating officer. “We expect OAS to see improved instructor retention while Air Georgian benefits from having a dedicated stream of candidates. The pilots benefit by having a clear gateway from their job as an instructor to a first officer position flying jet aircraft with an Air Canada Express partner. Once meeting the minimum experience requirements while at Air Georgian, the pilots will have an opportunity to partake in the Pilot Mobility Agreement where they receive an interview with Air Canada.”
The program is designed to provide OAS with highly predictable and timed attrition by providing the instructors a conditional offer of employment and clear visibility regarding their career progression with an entry point into the Air Canada system. Those hired under the gateway program will be given a number of paid days over their first two years of employment with Air Georgian to return to OAS and provide mentorship to instructors and students.
“We are very pleased to establish this program with Air Georgian,” said Cedric Paillard, president and CEO, Ottawa Aviation Services. “With a great many of our students becoming instructors to begin their professional aviation career, this program helps OAS deliver on our vision–an aviation job for every graduate.”
“We look forward to working with OAS, and continuing to expand on the gateway programs for which Air Georgian is known,” said Mailhot.
