The airline industry faces the daunting challenge of training 340,000 new pilots by 2024 - including 73,000 in the Asia-Oceania region - to meet growth and retirements.

Alteon president Sherry Carbary said the challenge for the industry was "significant".

Ms Carbary said Alteon, a division of Boeing, was pioneering the International Civil Aviation Organisation's multi-crew pilot licence (MPL) concept, which aimed to produce first officers (co-pilots) in only 15 months by teaching them just what they needed to know.

The MPL concept is being examined by regulators around the globe, and Alteon has launched a beta training program for 16 pilots at its Brisbane facility in Australia.

MPL was established by ICAO in 2002 in an attempt to take zero-time, off-the-street potential pilots and train them up to first officers of a multi-engined transport, such as a 737NG, in half the usual time required.

The concept has caused some disquiet among traditional pilot groups. But Ms Carbary pointed out that MPL pilots would have to perform 12 actual take-offs and landings before being certified.

Alteon director of marketing Roei Ganzarski said the MPL program was in beta test only. "We are assessing its effectiveness at this stage," he said.

Alteon has selected Australia and its regulator, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, to trial the program because Australia is a major training centre for pilots, particularly from Asian airlines.

Alteon is working with Brisbane-based Airline Academy Australia and has leased two Diamond DA 20 single-engine aircraft for initial training.

According to Mr Ganzarski, airlines are extremely interested in MPL and look favourably at the fact that they would not have to "eliminate the bad habits pilots pick up working in general aviation, which is the typical career path for pilots".

While the MPL program is based on ICAO guidelines, those guidelines are not prescriptive and the consensus is that they may change once the beta test program is concluded with CASA's input and endorsement.

Mr Ganzarski said: "A new training program, like our MPL course, necessitates instructor training."

Alteon instructors, as well as instructors at Airline Academy Australia, have received training on the MPL curriculum to effectively teach the new course.

Airline Academy Australia instructors spent time in Seattle in training and Alteon instructors also provided training in Brisbane.

"These were all qualified instructors but the crew-based training approach of the MPL course is new to the typical flight school," Mr Ganzarski said.