Jessica O'ConnorAirlines are adjusting their operational and HR practices to manage rapidly growing cultural and linguistic diversity among pilot teams, as international recruitment expands across the sector.
Franco Narcisi, chief pilot at Avion Express, has outlined how carriers are responding to multilingual crews, differing regulatory standards and varied cultural and religious requirements while maintaining safety and efficiency.
Many global airlines, especially those in markets with large expatriate workforces or those operating ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) services, now employ pilots from dozens of countries.
Narcisi noted: “Most airlines have multinational flight crews, especially carriers from the Emirates – a country where more than 80% of residents are expats – that hire pilots from every corner of the globe.
“This also applies to ACMI operators like us. We have around 55 countries represented in our cockpits, depending on the month.”
The mixing of nationalities among flight crews places increased importance on consistent language standards.
Although ICAO regulations define English as the global aviation language, implementation varies across jurisdictions.
Narcisi said the airline maintains a strict internal policy: “Our internal policy requires all crew to speak English as the official language, even when flying with someone from the same country where English is not the mother tongue.”
Airlines have reported that communication challenges occur less often between pilots and air traffic control and more frequently during coordination with ground staff, where English proficiency can vary significantly.
Narcisi said: “If ground staff encounter situations outside standard scenarios, their English skills might lapse and sometimes they switch to their native language.”
In regions such as Latin America, this has prompted airlines to allocate crew with relevant language skills to certain routes where possible.
Beyond linguistic issues, operators are also handling varying religious and cultural practices.
Airlines are required to support these where feasible while ensuring they do not interfere with flight safety or operational discipline.
Some carriers enable passengers and crew to observe prayer times discreetly, while recruitment processes may include discussions about how individual needs can be accommodated without affecting safety-critical duties.
Narcisi noted that language requirements alone are not enough. He said that that effective management of diverse flight crews requires: “cultural awareness, flexible operational strategies, and comprehensive training programs.”
