| Rokiah Mahmud |
MOHAMAD Shahzren bin Haji Puasa, Muhammad Akmal Zufayari bin Haji Mohamed Effendy, Mohd S’Iskandar bin Haji Latip and Ridhwan Akmal bin Singpa @ ‘Abdull Majid – four young local aspiring aviators – will soon embark on a new chapter in their lives as cadet pilots for Royal Brunei Airlines (RB).
A signing ceremony was held yesterday at the RB Campus to officiate their enrolment for the 51st Intake of RB Cadet Pilot Programme.
The quartet, who were among 84 shortlisted applicants out of 500, underwent a series of stringent assessment and selection process where they made their mark.
Signing the agreement on behalf of RB were the airlines’ Chief Executive Officer Karam Chand, its Chief Operation Officer Captain Saiful Bahrin bin Awang Bahar and Chief People and Performance Officer Kurt Harding.
In an interview, Mohd S’Iskandar said joining RB as a pilot is a dream of his and his parents.
He thanked RB for the opportunity which he regarded as a baby step for greater things to come.
“I am extremely lucky to be selected out of the hundreds of applicants. My mother has been relentless in encouraging me to be where I am today,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ridhwan Akmal said he was equally fortunate for the selection and expressed gratitude to the airlines.
He underwent gruelling tests and interviews, with a successful training in New Zealand.
The new cadets, who will commence their pilot training on Monday with RB’s training partner L3 Airline Academy in New Zealand, are expected to graduate by April 2020.
Currently, RB has a total of 134 pilots of which 73 per cent are locals comprising 36 captains and 62 first officers.