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<p>PITTSTON TWP. &#8212; Northeastern Pennsylvania is doing its part to address the worldwide shortage of airline pilots.</p><p>Officials at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport on Thursday joined representatives of Marywood University and Aviation Technologies Inc. to announce the university will begin offering its flight program at AVP starting in September.</p><p>The Marywood program, currently housed at its Scranton campus, is the only aviation education program in Northeastern Pennsylvania.</p><p>In a recent Conde Nast magazine story, Daniel Elwell, the acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration, recently warned of a &#8220;tsunami of retirements&#8221; that will occur in the next five to 10 years and deplete the ranks of commercial pilots. Boeing, in a recent forecast, predicted the aviation industry worldwide will need 790,000 new pilots over the next 20 years.</p><p>Aviation Technologies will provide the flight training experiences for students enrolled in the program.</p><p>&#8220;This announcement synchronizes the great economic impact of our airport with the tremendous employment opportunities available in this field. It&#8217;s a big win for the whole community,&#8221; said Carl R. Beardsley, airport executive director.</p><p>Beardsley said the airport is a &#8220;multi-layered economic engine&#8221; with a regional economic impact of $327 million, directly and indirectly.</p><p>&#8220;Anything that is good for our students and good for our area is certainly something to talk about and we are so glad to be here to share this news,&#8221; said Sister Mary Persico, Marywood president.</p><p>Captain Joe McDonald, director of the aviation program at Marywood, said the university was in need of a place for internships. He said the airport offers the best facilities for a successful program.</p><p>McDonald said there are 37 students enrolled for the fall semester; 31 of them are already flying.</p><p>&#8220;We hope to expand our program,&#8221; McDonald said. &#8220;Our students will meet pilots, mechanics, fuelers and people in all related jobs. There are many career opportunities available.&#8221;</p><p>McDonald said some 2,957 pilots were hired this year by major airlines. He said the market is expected to be excellent through 2026.</p><p>&#8220;We have never experienced such a shortage of pilots and we welcome the opportunity to train the next generation of aviators,&#8221; said Jim Gallagher, president of Aviation Technologies. &#8220;We will train quality, safe aviators of the future.&#8221;</p><p>Some highlights of Marywood&#8217;s program:</p><p>&#8226; The only aviation program in the region to offer a four-year bachelor&#8217;s degree.</p><p>&#8226; A two-track degree: professional pilot/flight operations or airport/airline management.</p><p>&#8226; Experienced instructors.</p><p>&#8226; FAA certified.</p><p>&#8220;Today is another great day at AVP,&#8221; noted Lackawanna County Commissioner Patrick O&#8217;Malley, chairman of the airport&#8217;s bi-county board. &#8220;We&#8217;re continuing to expand our presence in this region by welcoming a new partner in Marywood University and leveraging the great resources of our existing tenant, Aviation Technologies, to help prepare more students for great careers in aviation.&#8221; </p><p>Tim McGinley, Luzerne County council member and airport board vice chairman, hopes the new partnership will be around for a long time.</p><p>&#8220;It makes sense for this program to be here,&#8221; McGinley said. &#8220;This is the perfect location &#8212; and the facilities here are fantastic.&#8221;</p><p>McDonald noted the distance from Marywood to the airport is just 12 miles.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Sister Mary Persico, president of Marywood University, announces that the school&#8217;s aviation program will move to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport in September. Looking on are Tim McGinley, Luzerne County council member and airport board vice chairman; Jim Gallagher, president of Aviation Technologies; and Patrick O&#8217;Malley, Lackawanna County commissioner and airport board chairman. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/web1_Sister-Persico-Marywood.cmyk_.jpg</photo0><caption0>Sister Mary Persico, president of Marywood University, announces that the school&#8217;s aviation program will move to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport in September. Looking on are Tim McGinley, Luzerne County council member and airport board vice chairman; Jim Gallagher, president of Aviation Technologies; and Patrick O&#8217;Malley, Lackawanna County commissioner and airport board chairman. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill O&#8217;Boyle | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Airport announces partnership with Marywood on flight program