Skip to content

Lovely Singapore

Menu
  • Home
Menu

Aviation Industry Workers Pivot: From Cockpit to Coffeeshop, from Pilots to Hawkers

Posted on November 26, 2020November 26, 2020 by T Natasha

As pilots, Mr Ken Chew and Mr Steven Goh have been flying for 25 and 15 years respectively. A long time. When the pandemic swept across the world, they, like many others in the aviation industry, were pretty much grounded. One day, while having a meal at Ghim Moh Road Market and Food Centre, they approached the stallowner of Granny’s Pancake, Mr Ng, and requested for him to mentor them. They also took advantage of the Hawkers’ Development Programme designed to help new hawkers enter the trade. Mr Goh and Mr Chew started on the programme with fervour, taking classes on business planning and marketing. How lovely!

Like many other workers in the aviation industry, their resilience and willingness to reskill is commendable.

Aviation industry workers carve out new paths with the support of Unions

Since the start of the pandemic, the Government has been collaborating with the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) to help place the aviation industry’s workers in new jobs, and help them pivot through retraining and upskilling.

NTUC Secretary General, Mr Ng Chee Meng expressed a deep sense of loss and sadness at the inevitable need of local airlines to right-size in a recent FaceBook post. “I know it is tough for all concerned. But let us take heart, keep the faith and continue to support one another. Slowly but surely, we will emerge stronger together,” he shared.

Indeed, the industry’s workers have shown great resilience in the face of the pandemic. Their stories have been inspiring. They have served at various F&B outlets; packed stocks at FairPrice, served as care ambassadors at hospitals; and served as safe ambassadors at MRT stations. In the face of challenges, they have displayed strong adaptability and spirit!

Likewise, Mr Ken Chew and Mr Steven Goh have moved on to a different path – for now. They are running a simple business selling pancakes at a coffee shop. Compared to the cockpit, one can only imagine the change and their strong mindset to keep going. As they shared, it is a “totally different environment” and has taken a lot of endurance but, it is fulfilling for the two gentlemen. Their long-term goal? To handle the business from behind the scenes while their staff take care of daily operations. Mr Chew and Mr Goh are still waiting for the aviation industry to recover, and yearning to take to the skies again.

The outlook for aviation industry workers

To the disappointment of many, transport Minister Ong Ye Kung announced last week that the air travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore would be postponed for two weeks. A well-considered move for sure.

Even with drastic cost-cutting measures, airlines are fast running out of cash. The industry has been ravaged and the road ahead remains bumpy. The outlook for the industry remains foggy.  Globally, millions are jobs are at risk in the aviation industry alone.

The livelihoods of thousands and thousands of workers in the industry are at stake. Countries with sizable domestic markets to rely on can afford to hold back on reopening borders. Can we afford that? No. Tourism and related activities contribute to a huge chunk of Singapore’s GDP.  Tourism also plays an essential role in reinforcing Singapore’s status as a vibrant global city, attracting investments, businesses and talent. Simply put, we cannot afford to close our borders indefinitely.

We will get there together.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for the day we can travel again. Let’s hope for a recovery for the aviation industry with recent promising developments on the vaccine front. May Mr Ken Chew and Mr Steven Goh, together with many other aviation industry workers be able to take to the skies as pilots again one day!

Sending lots of love to the workers in the aviation industry!

Cover pic via

Recent Posts

  • Charity Run to C.A.R.E in support of lower-income families! ❤️
  • Meet Former Air Force Engineer Turned Professional Caregiver, Jonathan
  • Financial help given to Singapore workers till 31 Dec 2022
  • It’s the holidays and the AWS bonus is on our minds!
  • Say a word of thanks to security officers today!

Recent Comments

    Archives

    • March 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • February 2021
    • November 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019

    Categories

    • News
    • Other countries
    • Singapore

    Meta

    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org
    © 2023 Lovely Singapore | Powered by Superbs Personal Blog theme