According to some parents, several trainees left midway to complete their training at other flying schools, resulting in heavy financial losses.
Giaan charges a fee of RM390,000 for a 24-month flying course but provides the option of extending the course by six months if given valid reasons.
According to the parents, only three trainees have completed their courses at Giaan since the Putrajaya-based school began operating in 2021.
A few are said to have applied for release letters from the academy to finish their training at other schools, but have yet to receive them.
One parent said the latest problem began when Giaan was slapped with a three-month suspension by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) in December, forcing the academy to temporarily cease operations over what CAAM described as a “safety oversight”.
Before this, he said, there were problems with the availability of aircraft for training, resulting in the slow progress of clocking flying hours.
Trainee pilots have to complete 850 hours of ground school and 200 hours of flying before being eligible to apply for a commercial pilot licence (CPL).
“Parents who had the money took their children out of this school and put them in other academies where they are progressing smoothly. Others are stuck here and waiting to finish their training as they have paid their fees in full and cannot afford to go elsewhere.
“Many parents took personal loans. Under the contract, there will be no refund for any delay or if the students decide to quit,” the parent told FMT.
Former student M Divakaran finished his training at the International Aero Training Academy (IATAC) in Melaka last December after quitting Giaan three months earlier.
He said he made the move after waiting nearly 16 months to complete a conversion programme, having done his basic flight training in the Philippines.
“I paid RM189,000 just to complete 35 hours of flying a twin-seater aircraft. During the 30-month wait, I only clocked seven hours. We were always told that the aircraft was unserviceable, among other reasons,” he told FMT.
After he quit last September and joined the IATAC, it took him just six weeks to complete 35 hours of flying to qualify for the CPL.
Currently, he is locked in a dispute with Giaan’s management for a refund to which the school agreed, albeit at a much lower sum of RM52,000. “I am still waiting for it despite many reminders,” he said.
Divakaran said he and another student had lodged reports against Giaan at the Klang police headquarters for not refunding what was due to them.
Meanwhile, another student confirmed filing a suit against the school last November over the delay and a lack of full refund. However, he declined to comment further.
Giaan, for its part, has confirmed filing its defence and a counter-suit.
CAAM gives six-month extension
When contacted, Giaan’s accountable manager Sirajudin Mydin said CAAM had given the school a fresh six-month certificate of approval (CoA) to operate, which will expire on Oct 31.
He said the CoA was only for six months and not the normal two-year period as CAAM wanted to perform an audit before granting further extension.
CAAM confirmed lifting the suspension and issuing the six-month CoA.
“The temporary suspension was linked to safety issues, on which we will not compromise. We lifted it only after Giann had addressed the issues raised in a safety audit,” said a spokesman.
Sirajudin said the students should meet with the academy’s officials to learn their progress, adding that the contracts are clear on the matter of refunds and release letters for continuing their courses elsewhere.
He also said the six trainees from the latest intake who left did so of their own accord, which meant they were not eligible for a refund as per their contracts.
As for the delays in completion of flight training, the Giaan official said that the Covid-19 pandemic had resulted in the grounding of aircraft which then needed servicing before flying again.
“We had problems sourcing spare parts which delayed the flying training for certain batches. The academy is doing its best to make sure the remaining students complete their training as soon as possible.”