Nok Air has refuted claims that it demanded training fees from junior pilots as a condition of employment, in response to a lawsuit.
Teerawat Angkasakulkiat, president of the Thai Pilots Association, reported that last month 13 pilots sued Nok Air.
In 2018, he explained, the plaintiffs each paid about 2.5 million baht for training aimed at earning a commercial pilot license (CPL), with the expectation of securing jobs at the airline afterward.
Mr. Teerawat stated that the airline had asked if the pilots could cover their own type rating training expenses, a program necessary to pilot specific aircraft types, which the pilots viewed as unjust.
Wutthiphum Jurangkool, Nok Air’s CEO, affirmed that the airline had not collected any training fees from these pilots.
He noted that the event took place before his tenure at the airline began in 2019.
The trainee pilots paid an aviation training agency directly for the CPL qualification, not to Nok Air, according to Mr. Wutthiphum.
He added that the training agency might have promised the pilots employment at Nok Air after training, but the airline could not confirm this claim.
Nok Air is currently reviewing its contract with the training agency, Mr. Wutthiphum revealed.
The lawsuit states that during the pandemic, Nok Air conducted skill assessments and job interviews with the plaintiffs. Some were already working for other airlines, while others were still job hunting.
However, most applicants failed the exam. The airline invited these pilots to retake the test, but they chose to sue instead, he explained.
Mr. Wutthiphum also mentioned that the training agency has since shut down.
The legal action was initiated in the civil court of first instance.
Before the pandemic, the airline had hired seven pilots through this agency, some of whom are still employed at Nok Air, he pointed out.
He clarified that Nok Air does not require pilots with CPLs to pay for type rating training as a condition of employment.
Instead, Nok Air typically proposes a pilot bond that commits pilots to work for the airline for about 6-7 years, or allows for the training fee to be deducted from the pilot’s earnings, Mr. Wutthiphum concluded.
