A total of 185 university students have entered the final selection to compete for 100 pilot vacancies at the Shanghai Airlines Co Ltd.

They will go in for stricter health exams and those clearing all segments will be sent abroad for six to eight months professional pilot training, said the company's human resources manager Lu Huizhong.

The local carrier, which already has 300 pilots on its books, is scheduled to recruit 100 pilots from among science major students in local universities this year, where earlier it used to hire a few select students. The company did not say when the final result will be out.

"Enthusiasm among local students for an aviation career is really beyond our expectation, which gives us a much wider choice," said Lu.

Scores of people came for consultation when campus recruitment was held in 13 local universities two weeks ago, Shanghai Airlines said.

After the preliminary selection, more than 500 students attended the interview last weekend.

"With the civil aviation industry developing rapidly, more airline professionals will be needed," said Lu. "Pilots trained at designated universities (such as the Nanjing Aviation School) are not enough to meet the high demand for civil pilots, so we need to find more students with a science background to make up the shortfall."

With more flights and aircraft in the offing, the company plans to recruit 50 more hopefuls among local senior high school graduates next month, which is a traditional channel of pilot selection and training for airlines. Shanghai Airlines, as well as other airlines, have also recruited stewardess from local universities in recent years.

"As civil aviation is considered one of the sunshine industries in China, being a pilot with a steady income is a good job choice for us," said Xu Shiwei, a senior at Tongji University, adding that he, too, would have applied but for his nearsightedness.

In fact, health conditions - nearsightedness in particular - resulted in 85 applicants being rejected.

Besides, the rising social status of pilots also contributed to the rush, said Ma Qianfeng, sociologist at Fudan University. "With the successful launch of Shenzhou V (China's manned spacecraft) last month, people are showing a big interest in astronauts and pilots. I won't be surprised if some students applied for the pilot's position out of curiosity."

(Shanghai Daily November 4, 2003)