PETALING JAYA: AirAsia Group Bhd has secured its Certificate of Approval (COA) from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) to conduct remote drone pilot training.
The classroom training will be conducted at AirAsia Academy located in KL Sentral and practical training will be conducted at the YMCA Kuala Lumpur field, adjacent to KL Sentral.
AirAsia Group chief safety officer Captain Ling Liong Tien said it is thrilled to be the first in Malaysia to win approval from CAAM for the accreditation of its remote pilot training organisation (RPTO).
“The idea behind becoming an RPTO is to support the industry by providing quality remote pilot training leveraging on our strong aviation background and decades of expertise. The UAS (unmanned aircraft system) has become an important element in many industries driving cost effectiveness and numerous efficiencies.
“Our commitment is to develop a strong foundation, supported by our existing robust safety management system, crew resource management and human factors training programmes along with the remote pilot training modules – in class and out in the field,” he said in a statement.
The latest development supports the upcoming drone pilot project for the delivery of goods from AirAsia’s e-commerce platforms using automated drones.
AirAsia Aviation Limited group CEO Bo Lingam said the drone delivery revolution in Malaysia is a lucrative and incredibly fast growing market. Globally, the industry has already taken off and is projected to reach US$7.38 billion (RM31 billion) by 2027.
“This new training programme provides an opportunity to upskill our Allstars and offer exciting new programmes for the broader community, as well as supporting the drone industry in providing quality training to have more qualified remote pilots in Malaysia. No prior experience is necessary, making this a great opportunity for everyone to learn to fly.
“Ultimately this supports our vision to launch urban drone delivery in the future for goods and retail items from AirAsia’s e-commerce platforms. The skies are the limit as we can also potentially scale up to support remote areas for essential supplies during natural disasters, for example.”
AirAsia Group (digital) president Aireen Omar said it can’t wait to launch the new drone curriculum at the drone academy within its digital edutech arm, AirAsia Academy, as it continues to support the digitalisation of Malaysia through a broad range of innovative tech based training programmes.
“Drone delivery will soon become our latest logistics solution, providing a strong boost to support the ever growing e-commerce industry. This innovation will allow us to create new high-tech job opportunities for Malaysians.
“The ability to pivot is part of our culture and while some are losing their jobs in aviation, we offer a second chance for them to build a new career with us through e-commerce with initiatives such as this.
“We are ready to take on new challenges and embrace the wave of Industry Revolution 4.0 to our advantage by ensuring people are job ready in the new digital era. Drones have the unique ability to truly transform and expand the delivery space, from e-commerce to supporting agriculture by distributing fertiliser and seeds more efficiently, to the transportation of medicines and supplies to remote areas, for example.”
Commercial remote pilot training classes commence from Jan 24.
