National carrier, Island Aviation has revealed plans to begin pilot training courses for locals by the end of the year.
Speaking with PSM News, Managing Director of Island Aviation Abdul Haris expressed confidence that the number of tourists visiting the country will increase significantly with completion of Velana International Airport. He said, this would in turn increase the demand for domestic flight operations to resorts.
In order to cater for this potential increase in demand, they would need more flights as well as more pilots, according to Haris. He attributed the need of training local pilots to the difficulties they face in hiring pilots.