Industry Boeing to expand pilot program with Okay Airways

Over the next five years, Boeing will screen, select and train 100 Okay Airways pilot cadets.

Dr. Li Zonglin, CEO of Okay Airways said: "This strategic cooperation deepens our relationship with Boeing, and allows us to lay a solid foundation for training and a steady stream of talent [...] The Pilot Development Program offers pragmatic and effective training, with continuous improvement of training quality."

Boeing works together with a network of flight schools around the globe. This enables airlines to experience commercial training, which includes screening PDP cadets, the management of the students’ performances and the development of training courses and materials for pilots.

"Boeing's Pilot Development Program is just one way that our Boeing Global Services team is delivering solutions to meet the needs of customers, both in China and around the globe," said Keith Cooper, vice president of Training & Professional Services, Boeing Global Services. "The commercial aviation market is experiencing an unprecedented demand for pilots, and we anticipate this to continue for the next several years. We're committed to supporting the full lifecycle of an aircraft, and through our training business, we're helping to ensure that our airline customers have pilots available to fly them."

According to Boeing, cadet training for the Chinese YTO Airlines and Kunming Airlines is underway.

Okay Airways is a Chinese Airline, headquartered in Beijing, China. Its fleet consists of 20 Boeing 737-800 and five Boeing 737-900. The airline has also ordered six 737 MAX 8s in 2014. Okay Airways operates 87 routes to 48 destinations in four countries.