“I encourage pilots to leave their cockpits, learn about and understand other professions in the sector. It is a real opportunity!”
Abdelkarim Taissir, airline pilot for Royal Air Maroc, delegate in the 18th TBS Aerospace MBA cohort.
“I always wanted to be a pilot”, Adbelkarim Taïssir, 39 years old, points out straightaway; a man who has succeeded in fulfilling his childhood dream, taunting destiny and luck on several occasions throughout his professional life. Due to the lack of possibilities in his preferred field during his years of initial training, Abdelkarim began his career as an engineer. He attended his preparatory classes in Morocco, and later went on to join an engineering school in Besançon (ENSMM) before being recruited by Royal Air Maroc (RAM) in 2001. “I was ecstatic to join this company that I found to be at the forefront of many areas”, the aviation expert remembers. During his first three years with the company, he explored the department of reactor engineering, and then moved on to a management post in heavy maintenance, heading a team of 60 mechanics and team leaders. “This was my first contact with hands-on management, without having any special training in this area”, he says with a smile.
Becoming a pilot
In 2004, on a visit to the RAM headquarters during his holidays, Abdelkarim entered the premises of the pilot school, whose building adjoins that of the company. “I met the captain who ran the school. “He gave me two hours to decide on a career change”, recalls the pilot. He took the plunge and pursued four years at the pilot school. Since 2009, Abdelkarim Taissir has been an airline pilot on the long-haul Boeing 787- the famous Dreamliner. For the past year, he has also been the flight analysis manager. “My dual training comes handy every day,”. A training he is able to complete today thanks to the Aerospace MBA program, “a boost for my career, but above all, a completely new way to gain knowledge in an international environment. I finally feel equipped to understand the issues surrounding the sector.”
Understanding the market
“The development of low cost airlines is totally transforming the landscape of the sector.” And to cite the example of Africa and the capacity of new airlines to replace their traditional competitors on a good number of destinations. “Low cost airlines are changing the offer every year with strategies that are complex to understand. The challenge for traditional companies is to add new destinations, and the types of aircraft in the fleet play a crucial role in market development.” The rapid and large-scale development of business aviation, together with the aircraft that are available, also plays a role in the renewal of the landscape of flight operations.
In September 2018, the delegate will graduate from TBS Aerospace MBA. “I encourage pilots to leave their cockpits, learn about and understand other professions in the sector. It is a real opportunity!”, he concludes.
