For several years, Lufthansa has operated a pilot-training program up in the Bremen area of Germany. Presently, around 700 'students' are in the pipeline, who would eventually graduate and become full-up Lufthansa pilots.
Well....the news this morning says.....that Lufthansa came to the 700 students and basically said....your training is finished. We won't continue the program....because of diminished travel requirements and an overage of pilots.
They aren't talking about for just 2020 or 2021....they are hinting in various ways that they won't be needing new pilots for a minimum of five years.
What happens to the 700? Unknown. In normal times, they'd float around to another airline....get into another program, and continue on....losing no class-time. But presently....NO one needs new pilots.
I would be guessing that most of the 700 are sitting there in shock. Some had this 'dream' existing for an entire decade. Some had spent a thousand hours of class-time and flight-time to reach a near-stage on qualifications. Now? You'd go back home, sit there for a long while and contemplate the future. Going back to university? Some might....others might walk into Job-Centers and try to find some decent occupation to wait out the five years.
This is a major sign of the future for air-travel and how much planning is going on for a diminished travel sector.
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