AMERICA ECONOMIA (Chile) 


SANTIAGO – The rapid expansion of large Latin American companies is pushing up demand for private airplanes and helicopters like never before.
The reasons are simple – these companies want the speed, flexibility and autonomy that private air transport provides. The only problem: There are not enough pilots, America Economia reports.
This creates an interesting situation. Many large companies, instead of contracting with an air transport company, will hire pilots directly and buy their own vehicles. Often, these companies are former clients of companies that provide private air transport.
Jorge Bitar Neto, president of Helimart, one such private air company, explained that his clients have turned into his competitors. Not only do they buy their own planes, they then hire away the pilots that they are used to flying with, usually offering vastly better salaries. The air transport companies can’t compete.
If it’s crunch time for the companies, it’s time to rake in the money for pilots. An inexperienced co-pilot can expect to earn between $3,500 and $5,000 per month, and experienced pilot over $12,500 per month, reports America Economia.