Captain Chris Kempis

Chris is currently Director Flight Operations at Cathay Pacific. He commenced his aviation career in 1980, graduating as a fighter pilot in the South African Air Force. He enjoyed a brief interlude in corporate aviation before starting his airline career in South African Airways in 1987. He has spent the past 26 years in Cathay Pacific, flying the B747, Airbus A330, A340 and A350 aircraft.

Chris is a Senior Training Captain, IRE/TRE, and holds an MSc in Air Transport Management. During his 15 years in operations management he has held roles in flying training, as Chief Pilot of the company’s Airbus fleet and as the General Manager Flying, with oversight of fleet operations and pilot training.

This keynote address is intended not only to kick off proceedings at APATS 2019, but also to ask questions of the industry and touch on what lies ahead.

As the demand for air travel grows exponentially, with representative increases in the demand for aviation professionals in all areas, how are operators and training establishments responding in order to meet the training needs of our industry?

Is it a case of simply increasing capacity, or do we need to change the way we work? Does training that has worked to get us to where we are now fit the needs of the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals (NGAP)? What do we need to equip pilots, cabin crew and maintenance staff for aviation in 2050?

Beyond the marvels of what the industry has achieved to date and the growth that lies ahead, are we fully prepared to carry our share of CSR? How can we fully embrace sustainable operations?

I look forward to meeting you and sharing ideas at this year’s APATS.