Reaching for the skies with English

PUTRAJAYA: Aviation English may be a niche industry, but it could end up saving the lives of many.

Department of Civil Aviation director of flight operations sector Capt Datuk Yahaya Abdul Rahman said communication was a key factor in ensuring flights took off and landed without a hitch.

And with English being the most widely used language for radio communication, it is a priority to get the command of English up to the mark among the country’s 5,000 pilots and 2,000 air traffic controllers.

“Based on statistics from ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation), many (aviation) accidents are due to (the lack of) language understanding.

“This is why ICAO made it mandatory for pilots to be tested for their English proficiency in March 2008,” he said after attending an agreement signing ceremony between local aviation school Kist Group Holding Sdn Bhd and RMIT Training of Australia.

The deal between Kist and RMIT Training makes them only the third organisation to offer aviation English certification in the country.

Grant Taylor, the commercial director of RMIT English Worldwide, said the severity of aviation accidents over the past decade brought the need for pilots and controllers to communicate well.

Taylor said the tests, which are conducted every three or six years depending on language proficiency, served as an important tool in maintaining the standards of English.