Air Niugini welcomes home aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) cadets
May 3, 2017
Ten young Air Niugini engineers including two women have returned to Papua New Guinea two weeks ago with their Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) certificates after successfully completing their four year engineering cadet program at Air New Zealand Training institute, in Christchurch, New Zealand and Aviation Australia under the Cairns Aviation Skills Centre (CASC) respectively.
The cadet AMEs include Elena Mai, Lyndah Eremas, Kelvin Piongats, Gavin Eron, Ronald Kayoka,Raphael Vagi, Robstoan Gare Eremugo, Nathan Poy Ulastone, Damien Kadiko and Solomon Kawage who spent the first two years with Air New Zealand Aviation Institute where they did theoretical training, whilst the last two years at Cairns Aviation Skills Centre (CASC) for their practical training before returning home.
The program was fully funded by Air Niugini at the cost of over K5million. It aims at developing young Papua New Guineans to be fully Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (LAMEs) with ?careers in Aircraft Engineering in Air Niugini.
Air Niugini Chief Executive Officer, Mr Simon Foo in congratulating the AMEs emphasized that Air Niugini is committed to training, skilling and development of human resources by investing millions of kina towards employee training throughout? Air Niugini every year.
?The cost of training each engineering cadet exceeded K500,000 and Air Niugini is proud of its wide ranging commitment to professional and trade? training for its national employees,? Mr Foo said.
?All that Air Niugini asks in return for the investment for engineers and pilots is the right sense of loyalty, commitment and attitude to the airline as their employer, and the highest standards of professionalism that is rightly expected by the airline and the traveling public.?
?Throughout the four year cadet program, these young men and women have gained both the theoretical and practical experience required to qualify them to apply for a European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Basic Aircraft Maintenance Engineer License. An EASA Aircraft Maintenance Engineer License is an aviation industry qualification, that it internationally recognized where the EASA qualification is recognized and applied.?
Upon gaining their EASA Basic Aircraft Maintenance License, they will be eligible to apply for their PNG Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) License. In this regard they will need to pass the PNG Civil Aviation Examinations.
The 10 Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AMEs) are now preparing for this exam through reviews and coaching conducted by the Air Niugini Training School.
Mr Foo also said the achievement by the 10 young people is a bonus for Air Niugini as the airline is now in the process of building its own Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facility here in Port Moresby.
?Having our own hangar will allow the employees to continue their training and build their experiences here in Papua New Guinea. It also cuts down on the huge costs that we currently incur sending our aeroplanes overseas for major overhaul and maintenance. On the overall our aircraft engineering experience and capacity is enhanced through this arrangement?, Mr Foo said.
Air Niugini currently has four (4) groups of AME Cadets at various stages of training. This group is from ANG?s second group of Cadet AME?s who have now joined the first group and are now part of the Air Niugini Aircraft Maintenance Division. The third and fourth groups are still under training in New Zealand.
Air Niugini has 37 cadet engineers in various stages of program, six of which are females.
Air Niugini?s Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Cadet Scheme is a four year program. It has an intensive recruitment and selection process which considers those within the age of eighteen and twenty-five with a minimum of Grade 12 education with an A or B passes in Physics, Applied Maths, Maths A and Applied English .
Corporate Affairs Department
Wednesday 03rd May, 2017