Pilot students snapped up by industry but study costs limit numbers

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Media release

15 Janurary 2026

Pilot students snapped up by industry but study costs limit numbers

More than 80% of New Zealand pilot training graduates obtain work in the local aviation industry, but high fees are locking out many more aspiring pilots at a time of workforce shortages.

This is a key finding of the Aviation Industry Association of New Zealand’s (AIANZ) survey of flight training organisations that investigated career pathways for domestic students in the local industry.

“Not only do most graduates obtain work quickly but they are employed across the industry, primarily in charter and general aviation roles, in areas such as tourism flight operations, agricultural aviation and helicopter operations,” says Simon Wallace, Chief Executive of AIANZ.

“This is counter to long-standing views that they are almost exclusively limited to moving into careers as flight instructors.”

The industry also continues to absorb those who don’t immediately find employment, with around 10 percent remaining unemployed within six months of graduation, dropping to around 5 percent within a year.

However, the industry is losing between 10 to 20 percent of trainees even before they graduate due to financial stress linked to high tuition fees and limited student loan support.

“Training to be a pilot is expensive at approximately $120,000 for the two-year course with students expected to fund at least another $50,000 on top of the $70,000 student loan they are limited to.

The reality is that it’s only an option for those who have family that can provide financial support.”

The student loan has been capped at $70,000 since 2013 without any inflation adjustment.

“Government has been reluctant to increase the cap based on a belief that graduates have limited early career pathways that inhibit debt repayment. We now have irrefutable evidence that this is not the case with our graduates able to get jobs across the entire industry that allow them to pay off debt.”

New Zealand’s commercial aviation industry has grown over the last decade. Now worth $23 billion to the national economy, it enables trade and tourism, connecting New Zealanders to the regions and the world and providing essential services across key areas like agriculture, disaster and medical relief.

AIANZ research with the Ringa Hora Workforce Development Council in 2024 shows that New Zealand needs at least 100 new pilots each year to meet projected workforce demand.

“Our pilot training system has the capacity to meet that demand, but we are locking aspiring New Zealand pilots out of the industry due to financial and funding arrangements.

“This slack in the industry is being taken up by international students, whose fees help keep our training organisations viable. But these graduates return to their home countries.

“The Government’s Aviation Action Plan gives us real hope with the promise of policy change to address systemic issues with our pilot training system.

“One of the most fast and effective ways to do this is lifting the outdated student loan cap so more people can train to be pilots and enter the workforce.”

AIANZ’s survey results are intended to support the workforce actions of the Aviation Action Plan, currently being progressed by the Aviation Council.

ENDS

For more information contact Alice Taylor | 021 027 85648 | alice@latitudesc.co.nz

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