The aviation sector lacks general management training, says Association of the South Pacific Airlines chief executive George Faktaufon.

Faktaufon said during the coronavirus pandemic, the Association found out that no airline company in the region had any existing general management training.

“There is lack of general management training for airlines. It may sound strange that we do not have this on board,” he said in a panel discussion.

“But over the last ten years, we have been concentrating on training specific key areas like revenue management, operation and engineering maintenance management.

“Our focus was in these specific areas because we felt it was necessary. For about 12 years, the association had planned general management training from 1994-2006.

“We then changed to concentrate on specialised areas where we felt that we needed to focus on and left the airlines to do the general management training. 

“Obviously, when they hire new recruits there will be an on boarding  process to train the new recruits but we found that no one has any existing general management training,” he said.

He said the Association is now going to redevelop one for member countries because this is going to be critical for the reopening.

By Nacanieli Tuilevuka