Flight Schools Implicated in Training Chinese Military Pilots
Review of Flight Schools Outside the U.S.
"...it has emerged that pilot training schools in the United States and Canada, too, have trained Chinese pilots and are recruiting pilots from other countries with the objective to train Chinese air force pilots...Out of the 5,000 pilot cadets needed by China each year, roughly 3,000 are trained each year in schools in the US, and another roughly 800 cadets in other countries, including Australia, Canada, and South Africa."
Below is a list of 35 pilot training institutes authorized by China to provide pilot instruction as identified in the article Companies Based in US, UK, Canada, NZ, France Boost Chinese Air Capabilities:
Survey of flight schools in South Africa, Canada, Australia, France and the Czech Republic identified on the above list
South Africa -Two Flight Schools at Three Airports Train Chinese Pilots
Test Flying Academy of South Africa - As stated in the Sunday Guardian article cited above, "The Ministry of Defence, United Kingdom, has recently named a South African company, Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA), situated at Oudtshoorn town, Western Cape province of South Africa...in an intelligence threat alert and alleged that the company was recruiting former British military pilots to work in China and possibly help train Chinese military personnel in lieu of lucrative salaries."
AVIC-Aviation International Flight Training Academy - The home airports identified on this site include FABW - Beaufort West (ABW) George Airport (AF) and Oudtshoorn (FAOH). According to a 3/28/2021 South China Morning Post article, Chinese Aviation Firm AVIC: Why Is It on a US Sanctions List and What Do We know About It?,
"The state-owned military aerospace contractor was also placed on the US Department of Defence's list of civil entities with ties to the Chinese military in June 2020, meaning it is subject to a US investment ban...The firm makes products for military use as well as for the civil aviation market. And through its many subsidiaries, it manufactures some of China's leading fighter aircraft such as the J-10, J-11, and J-20...There are a growing number of questions about whether Beijing's strategy of 'military-civil fusion' – a policy that aims to use civil technology to strengthen its military capacity and development – could compromise American global competitiveness, result in technology transfers and be used by the Chinese military." [Bold and italics added]
Canada – Three Flight Schools and Seven Airports Across Four Provinces Train Chinese Pilots
CanLink Aviation (does business as Moncton Flight College) - located in Dieppe, New Brunswick. Students in this program train out of Greater Moncton Romeo LeBlanc International (YQM) and Fredericton International Airports (YFC).
Montair Aviation - located in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia. Students in this program receive flight training at Pitt Meadows Regional (YPK) and Alberta's Red Deer Regional (YQF) Airports.
Cargair - This flight school trains pilots at several locations in Quebec: St-Hubert (YHU) in Montreal, St-Honore (YRC), and Trois-Rivieres Airports.
Australia (There are multiple flight schools and airports in Australia that provide flight training for Chinese students. Some are owned by Chinese companies.)
As noted in a 12/1/2019 Daily Mail article, From Farms and Coal Mines to Airports and Water Supplies: How China Is Gobbling Up Millions of Acres of Land, Vital Infrastructure and Companies - As Part of Its 'Disturbing' Plan to Exert Greater Influence and Control over Australia,
"In 1993, China's biggest airline, state-owned China Southern Airlines, paid the Western Australian government $1 to lease Merredin airport for 100 years to use as a training school for its pilots. The rural airport, 260km east of Perth, only had two gravel airstrips - but after Chinese investment is now a multimillion-dollar all-weather airfield providing jobs in the region. However, experts have raised concerns about letting a foreign government control airspace in Australia. Local pilots say they have never been turned down when they request to land - but in theory China Southern could stop them using the airport at any time.
Australian Aviation Alliance – This Chinese owned company operates four flight schools out of the Mildura Airport (MQL) in Victoria. All are included on the above list of schools that provide flight training for Chinese pilots - Clamback and Hennessy, Air Queensland, Pearson, and Aerodynamic Flight Academy. Pearson also provides training at the Wentworth Airport in New South Wales.
An 8/3/2022 Australian ABC report provides addition information,
"The Chinese-owned Australian Aviation Alliance started in Mildura in 2019 but was disrupted by pandemic-related travel restrictions and last had a student graduate in October last year. Per the CEO, "the school's contracts with four major airlines in China also ended during the height of the pandemic but negotiations had since recommenced." The school is now in the process of securing new contracts.
Other flight schools in Australia that train Chinese pilots include:
TVSA Pilot Training - This school provides pilot instruction at the Bacchus-March Airfield in Victoria.
Australian Airline Pilot Academy AAPA - This company is owned by Regional Express. Per AAPA's website, this flight school is accredited by the Civil Aviation Administration China (CAAC) to provide pilot training. Students in this program train out of the Wagga Wagga Airport in Forest Hill, New South Wales and at AAPA Victoria at Ballarat. Per the above chart, AAPA pilots also train out of the Swan Hill and Deniliquin Airports.
Bluewater Aviation: Diamond Bluewater Academy - trains pilots at Moorabbin Airport in Victoria.
Basair Aviation College - trains pilots at Bankstown, Archerfield and Cessnock Airports.
CAE Oxford Flight Training Academy - Per their website, "CAE Melbourne is based at Moorabbin Airport which is approximately 22 kms south east of Melbourne's Central Business. District (CBD). The Melbourne Academy specialises in delivering airline pilot training for Australia and the wider Asia-pacific region." There is also a CAE Tamworth flight training location.
Aerodynamic Flight Academy - This flight school, based at the Mildura Airport in Victoria, lists the following Chinese airlines as partners: China Eastern, Shanghai, Sichuan, Shinzhen.
Moorabbin Aviation Service (MAS) - According to their website, "MAS is approved by the Civil Aviation Authority China (CAAC) and trains Airline Cadet students for China Southern Airlines at its Mangalore Airport Campus."
Australian International Aviation College (AIAC) - (Also known as Arena International Aviation). This school, located at the Port Macquarie Airport (PMQ) in New South Wales, works with a number of Chinese airlines including Cathay, Hainan, Lucky Air, GX, Air Changan, Air Guilin, and Capital Airlines as well as the Binzhou University and Shenyang Aerospace Universities.
"We are one of only three Australian flight schools with Civil Aviation Administration of China approval to conduct CPL and Instrument Rating training under CCAR 141." AIAC is also known as Arena International Aviation. It is the Australian-based training school for Hainan Airlines, China's fourth largest airline company. In addition to operating five regional airlines, Hainan also operates international airlines in Africa and France. Arena is the company's commercial license flight training school for cadet pilots and took in its first cohort of ten students at Port Macquarie in April 2014.
France
ENAC is a French civil aviation university based in Toulouse, France that offers training at a number of airports including - Toulouse-Blagnac (LBO), Parentis (FBS), Carcassonne (FMK), Montpellier–Méditerranée (FMT), Alpes–Isère (FLS), and Saint-Yan (FLN) Airports.
According to a 5/29/2018 AIN Online article Chinese Gaining Influence Over Foreign Airlines, "In France, Casil Europe—a holding company created by China's state-owned Shandong Hi-Speed Group and the Hong Kong-based Friedmann Pacific Asset Management—holds a 49.99 percent share in Toulouse-Blagnac Airport." The article further states,
"In Eastern and Central Europe, China Everbright Group, a state-backed financial firm is the sole shareholder of Albania's Tirana airport while Slovenian-based Chinese company SHS Aviation owns and operates Slovenia's Maribor airport...In England, sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corporation (CIC), holds a 10 percent stake in London's Heathrow Airport while China's Beijing Construction Engineering Group (BCEG) remains a long-standing equity and construction partner in the $1.3 billion airport city project at Manchester Airport."
ESMA Airways Aviation Academy – Per their website "ESMA was established in 1988 and the only multidisciplinary aeronautical school in Europe...in 2008, ESMA formed a partnership with Vietnam Airlines and Hainan Airlines and partnership fostered with civil aviation authorities...It is located in Montpellier Méditerranée Airport (FMT), France."
Czech Republic
F-AIR - This flight training school is located at the Benešov Airport (KBE) near Prague. According to a 5/19/2017 press release, the Regional President "applauded F AIR's achievement in becoming the 2nd flight school in Europe (17th worldwide) to gain the Chinese Aviation Bureau certification required to train pilots for Chinese airlines." This was followed by a 12/5/2017 press release,
"F AIR has already received an order to train 60 pilots for Sichuan Airlines, a Chinese domestic carrier who, since 2016, has also been operating a regular line to Václav Havel International Airport [Prague, Czech Republic]. The company considers this only the beginning though: 'Currently, we provide about 12,000 to 15,000 training hours per year. However, in the next few years this number might grow exponentially, mainly thanks to the changes taking place in the Chinese market.'"
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