Moncton Flight College suspending operations at Fredericton campus
College points to market forces in China as reason for closure
The students slated to graduate this semester at the Fredericton campus of the Moncton Flight College will be the last grads for the foreseeable future as the college plans to suspend operations there for 2025.
"That's the international student-focused operation, it was in Fredericton," said Joe Galimberti, senior vice-president of public affairs for PAL Group of Companies, the corporate aviation entity that owns the Moncton Flight College.
"It was built to cater to foreign students, international students — very specifically in the last several years Chinese students," he said.
"And given some information we've received from our clients about expected student flow into 2025, operations from that part of the business are going to be paused."
The Moncton campus of the flight school, where the focus is more on domestic students, will not be affected, said Galimberti.
More than 90 per cent of the students at the Fredericton campus come from China but market forces in that country and its decline in demand for pilots have led to this decision, he said.
"Specifically, Beijing University and Air China have been principal customers of ours. We've been informed that for the calendar year 2025 they don't anticipate, at present, having any need to send students internationally for training."
Galimberti points to the federal government's recent limitations on international students as a contributing factor.
"There was some uncertainty created around the federal government's limitation on international students and their hesitation for 2025 is, in part, a bit of a reflection of that," he said.
Galimberti wasn't able to say exactly when those Chinese clients made the decision not to send students, nor could he say how much of a financial hit their absence will mean to the flight school.
He did say that up to 40 staff members will be affected, with most being offered other positions within the company.
Buildings will still be maintained at the Fredericton campus, which is next to the Fredericton International Airport. The aircraft will likely be flown to Moncton, Galimberti said.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the college would graduate between 400 and 500 students annually from its international and domestic programs. But he said in recent years the Fredericton campus catered mostly to international students, graduating 225 annually.
Back in a year?
The intention is to reopen the Fredericton campus in 2026, and Galimberti said he's confident the Chinese clients will return but if not, they expect other clients will fill the gap.
That outlook is shared by St. Thomas University in Fredericton.
Earlier this year the university announced the formation of its bachelor of arts, aviation stream, degree — a four-year program to begin in September 2025, which would give graduating students an arts degree as well as a commercial pilot's licence. Flight hours and training are marketed as being completed at the Fredericton campus of the Moncton Flight College.
"The students we have coming in, in September, will do their first year at St. Thomas before they start they start taking courses at the Moncton Flight College in Fredericton," Jeffery Carleton, spokesperson for St. Thomas University, said.
The suspension of operations in 2025 won't affect STU students as their flight training won't start until 2026 and by that time, Carleton said, he's confident the college will reopen its Fredericton campus.
"So we've got a bit of buffer as the flight college seeks more international students for their program," said Carleton. "There's high demand domestically and internationally for commercial pilots. I think they're going to backfill this quite quickly."
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