Alt Academy CEO Ryan van Wijk to Join Aviation Skills Panel at Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2026 Conference

South Africa – Johannesburg-based aviation training organisation and simulator training centre Alt Academy will be represented by CEO Ryan van Wijk at the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2026 Conference, where he is scheduled to join a panel addressing aviation skills shortages on 18 September at Air Force Base Waterkloof in Pretoria.

• Van Wijk is scheduled to participate in a 45-minute panel, “Addressing the skills shortage in the aviation industry”, from 11:40 to 12:25 on 18 September, during the conference’s Commercial & Military Aviation day. He will be joined by representatives from Kershal Aviation, Airbus and Milkor, with Federal Airlines Human Resources Executive Reshika Singh chairing the session.
• The official agenda identifies pilot, engineer and technician, air traffic controller and safety-regulator shortages among the areas to be examined. The panel is also scheduled to consider airline partnerships with universities and technical institutions, the effect of AI and digitalisation on workforce requirements, and policy measures for aviation skills development.
• AAD’s previous edition in 2024 recorded 259 exhibitors from 30 countries and 22,970 trade visitors from 33 countries, according to the event organiser.
• AFM previously reported that van Wijk identified shortages of pilots and engineers, particularly in Africa, during an AFM Pilot Training Leadership Interview in March 2026. He cited funding barriers and limited early exposure to aviation among challenges to workforce development and discussed the role of mentorship, operational experience and airline-aligned training pathways. Listen to the interview here.

Source: Alt Academy