ABX Air partners with Air Cargo Carriers for pilot training flow-through program

Air Transport Services Group’s subsidiary carrier, ABX Air, has partnered with turboprop freighter operator Air Cargo Carriers under a program designed to allow the latter’s pilots to more easily enter ABX’s training class.

Under the program, Air Cargo Carrier pilots with at least two years’ experience as Pilot in Command, who have at least 1,000 hours of flight experience as Pilot in Command, and who obtain their Airline Transport Pilot License are able to skip the interview process for a spot in ABX Air’s training class. To join the class, Air Cargo Carrier employees must also pass a required background check.

This program follows others launched over the past two years to address a growing pilot shortage, including the “Purple Runway” program launched by FedEx last year to recruit pilots directly from universities and aviation colleges. In the past, most of those programs have been launched in partnership with express operators like FedEx and UPS, which as some of the largest cargo operators in the world, are particularly invested in promoting pilot training programs.

This program from ABX is a reasonable move for the carrier, which needs an expanded roster of pilots able to operate the growing number of 767-200Fs and -300Fs it operates on behalf of Amazon Air.

In partnership with Air Cargo Carriers, which a statement from the carriers noted shares “a similar customer base and operate[s] out of similar airports, including the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG),” ABX Air Vice President of Flight Operations John Maloney said, “we are looking forward to working together to recruit the best available pilots and give them the opportunity for a long, rewarding career in aviation.”