That gap is estimated to grow to more than 29,000 by the end of the decade. Where the airlines are, with regard to pilots, is uncharted territory.Īccording to an analysis issued in August by Oliver Wyman, a New York-based management consulting firm, the industry in North America faces a shortfall of 8,000 pilots this year, or about 11% of the total workforce. "Then, when air travel bounced back faster than people had planned, and airlines started raising capacity into the marketplace, the airlines struggled to get enough pilots to meet the demand," said Jonathan Kletzel, airline and travel practice leader at PwC. Others were furloughed or just left the profession. To offset nose-diving revenue and reduce payrolls, they sweetened retirement deals for thousands of senior pilots. Air travel demand fell by more than 90%, leading airlines to inadvertently exacerbate the pilot shortage. Meanwhile, the escalating cost (around $100,000) and time required (minimum 1,500 hours) to obtain an airline transport pilot (ATP) certificate was deterring people from entering the profession. The traditional pathway of military pilots transitioning to civilian carriers was slowing, due to fewer deployments and the rise of autonomous drones. The rapid growth of the airline industry globally was luring U.S. The baby boomer cohort of pilots was nearing the federally mandated retirement age of 65. Pre-Covid, the supply of pilots was meeting the flying public's demand, yet storm clouds were gathering along several fronts. Baby boomers, drones and cost hit pilot profession As of early July, airlines had hired more than 5,500 pilots this year, already more than in any full year since at least 1990, according to Future & Active Pilot Advisors, a career consulting firm for pilots. The pilot pipeline continues to rely on the military, if lately to a lesser degree, and universities that offer aviation programs.Īccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 135,300 airline and commercial pilots employed in 2021, a number expected to grow by 6% over the next decade, translating to more than 18,000 new hires annually. That formula has been adopted by regional airlines, too, such as Mesa Air Group, Republic, Envoy, Cape Air and SkyWest. Other majors, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest, Hawaiian, JetBlue and Frontier, have set up branded training programs affiliated with dozens of independent flight schools across the country. Last December, United Airlines opened its Aviate Academy in Goodyear, Arizona, the first major airline-owned flight school in the U.S.
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