THE founders and operators of the Aeronautical School of the West Indies are rejoicing after recently receiving accreditation that will allow them to offer commercial pilot training and licences to their students.

This is a major development for the school and the operators are confident that it will trigger exponential growth for the island’s gross domestic product (GDP).

According to Christopher Gooding, director of maintenance and co-founder of the institution based at the Tinson Pen Aerodrome in St Andrew, many Jamaicans studying and training to become pilots overseas are already gearing up to return home to complete their courses locally.

He told the Observer that having Jamaicans remain here or return home to attend pilot school means the foreign exchange earning potential will increase.

Gooding also expressed optimism that the institution could help to pave the way for Jamaica to rub shoulders again with other countries that have their own airline.

“It means a lot of economic value for the country. The aviation industry really needs to regrow. This will be a catalyst for a national airline to return because, with the high number of pilots we are anticipating, we would create jobs which would lead to an airline,” Gooding said while reminiscing on the days when Air Jamaica, founded in the 1960s, reigned supreme.

“Once we create a local airline, what this can do is create employment for 2,000 to 3,000 people. If we can carry 25 per cent of the passengers that come into and leave Jamaica as tourists, you are looking at about a million passengers a year, which could grow into a billion-dollar industry in Jamaica by just moving people and cargo.

“A billion US dollars being earned by a local industry in Jamaica is significant for the GDP. These are the small, micro steps that lead to the macro steps and then the large steps. I believe this school will be a catalyst to influence the Government and the people with the resources to make it happen once again. It is important for Jamaica to have a national airline on the global stage,” declared Gooding.

He said having a national airling would heighten Jamaica’s independence and allow the country to rescue its people across the globe in times of disaster, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, or war.

Gooding pointed to the war in Ukraine between that country and Russia and opined that if Jamaica had a national airline, citizens who were stranded would have been brought home much sooner without having to depend on external carriers to help the process.

“During the Ukraine war, a lot of Jamaicans were stuck and we had no airline to rescue them. We had to depend on foreign carriers. If we had our own, we probably would not only rescue Jamaicans, but other people too.”

Co-founder of the institution, Gari Tomlinson, told the Observer that receiving the green light to offer pilot licences will increase Jamaica’s global status.

He highlighted that global aviation is currently being driven by two main factors: a boost in online shopping as well as people increasingly wanting to experience new places and to enjoy what they see on television and the Internet.

Tomlinson said the Aeronautical School of the Caribbean is seeking to support the Jamaican aviation industry by doing the best it can to create good aviators.

“Aviation is a growing global industry because that supports a lot of other industries and businesses. More people across the globe want to travel and see the world. Also, global consumerism has changed. People are now looking to buy things on the Internet than go to a mall. A lot of malls in the United States are being impacted because Amazon is gobbling up a lot of their business.

“The largest airline in the world is FedEx. Nobody moves Amazon parcels like FedEx. The cargo industry needs pilots right now. COVID-19 had ground the aviation industry to a halt and a lot of pilots retired, which made a pilot shortage worse. There is a shortage of pilots, cabin crew, and maintenance engineers, so the industry needs people,” said Tomlinson.

“I do not believe there is any school in the Caribbean with our accreditation. At the moment we are small, but what we have to do is ensure that when they come and spend their money with us, they get the best training they can get. We have very good instructors with a lot of experience and integrity. I believe the experience the students will have will be better than if they went elsewhere. This kind of school will only be to the great benefit of Jamaicans,” added Tomlinson.