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Chinese Flight School
In 1993, a new pilot-training school called the China Southern West Australian Flying College (CSWAFC), opened at Jandakot Airport. Known as the “Chinese Flight School” by locals, it trained around 120 cadet pilots a year for China Southern Airlines.
Western Australia was chosen because it offered everything China couldn’t, like reliable weather, open and uncongested airspace and an established aviation community at Jandakot. By comparison, China’s airspace is heavily restricted, with most of it controlled by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Civilian aviation, including training schools, must operate within narrow military-approved corridors, making basic flying practice difficult. Low-altitude areas is more restricted, training flights require advance permissions and detailed flight plans and visibility is often reduced by seasonal fog, pollution and monsoonal weather. WA provided a far more predictable and efficient environment for pilot training.
In 1995, the school expanded by purchasing Merredin Airport from the Shire of Merredin for $1, turning what had been a financial burden for the shire into a major asset. CSWAFC invested more than $1 million upgrading the simple country airstrip, improving facilities for both the school and the wider community. Today, Merredin Airport continues to support Royal Flying Doctor Service flights several times a week.
Merredin Airport
Both the Jandakot and Merredin campuses had classrooms, hangars, accommodation and a large fleet of training aircraft. Over time, CSWAFC also partnered with international aviation-training companies such as Canadian Aviation Electronics (CAE), strengthening its role in the global training network. Most staff were local instructors, who built up their flight hours by teaching the overseas students to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) licence standards.
The Merredin school ran into difficulties in 2016, when the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) suspended their licence at Merredin, following the departure of the Chief Pilot. Under Australia’s aviation laws, flight schools must maintain key CASA-approved personnel to keep their licence. Without a qualified Chief Pilot, CSWAFC couldn’t legally continue its training program there.
The final blow came during the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted global aviation and forced hundreds of Australian businesses to shut down. CSWAFC entered voluntary liquidation on 21 December 2020, resulting in 62 staff losing their jobs. Its fleet of 40 Grob G-115 training aircraft was sold off the following year, along with the Merredin Airport, which to date failed to attract buyers.
After the liquidation left 48 cadet pilots stranded, liquidators worked with China Southern Airlines to find new training placements so the students could complete their qualifications.
The Jandakot campus sat vacant and unused, until it was recently demolished.
