Shenzhen Airlines, a leading private airline in China, has recruited 40 pilots from Brazil, and most of them previously worked for Varig, Brazil's bankrupt national airline, Beijing Daily said Tuesday.

This is the largest number of foreign pilots ever recruited by a Chinese airline at one go.

Eighteen of the pilots have already arrived in China, and the others will come soon, sources with the Shenzhen Airlines said.

After two decades of dynamic growth, China has become one of the largest aviation markets in the world. And it is still growing.

According to forecasts, the country will have 1,250 passenger aircraft by 2010, up 80 percent on today's figure. If the prediction is accurate, China will need 6,500 new pilots, far beyond the capacity of the country's pilot training system.

Faced with an acute shortage of pilots, many Chinese airlines are looking for pilots overseas. Shenzhen Airlines alone has recruited nearly 60 pilots from Brazil, Russia, the United States and other countries.

The report said Shenzhen Airlines officials went to Brazil two months ago to recruit pilots there. Most of the 40 pilots they recruited are experienced.

The 18 pilots who are already in China have received their licenses from Chinese authorities and are currently taking Chinese language courses, the report said.

Shenzhen Airlines was founded in 1992. It has a fleet of 32 Boeing and three Airbus planes. According to its website, it employs 5,100 people and flies 80 domestic and international routes.

(Xinhua News Agency August 8, 2006)