“Typically there may be 10-18% of the pilot workforce that’s in training on any given day. ![]() Their annual turnover rate could top 40% – almost three times the normal figure. “It’s remarkable, and a completely different dynamic than we’ve seen in the past,” Murray adds.Īn imminent pilot shortage has been worrying airlines for at least a decadeĪs the career entry point for most professional pilots, regional carriers will shoulder a heavier burden than their major airline clients, he says. By comparison, in 2021, they filled 5,426 pilot jobs – the highest number ever, FAPA says. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines alone accounted for 63% of that number.Īt that rate, those same 12 airlines could hire more than 13,000 new pilots by the end of 2022. In January alone, the largest 12 US passenger and cargo carriers filled 1,136 pilot jobs, says consultancy Future & Active Pilot Advisors (FAPA). US pilot schools are full and airlines’ appetites for new hires now seem insatiable.Ī year ago, one major airline predicted it might recruit 50 pilots per month, Murray says. “It’s been preoccupying regional airlines for the last decade at least.” “The pilot shortage was not caused by the pandemic,” says Faye Malarkey Black, chief executive of the Regional Airline Association. At the time, he said by 2029 there could be a gap of 21,000 airline pilots in the USA, with regional and low-cost carriers feeling the pipeline pinch most.Īnd the coronavirus crisis was just a firebreak, not the origin of the problem. Geoff Murray, an aviation consultant and partner at Oliver Wyman, predicted last year that after the Covid-19 crisis ebbs, a “pilot re-shortage” was imminent. Airlines, meanwhile, continue to expand their fleets. For pilots of all ages, maintaining a good quality of life is an ongoing concern. At the opposite end of the age scale, mandatory retirements threaten to deplete the talent and experience pool. On one hand, young people face a high barrier to career entry. The quick reaction and short-term fixes that seemed critical at the time have resulted in a major, long-term headache. Two years later, while many airlines in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region are still feeling the pain of the worst crisis to hit the industry in its 100-year-plus history, US airlines are staring down another predicament that could again harm their growth prospects. In March 2020, no-one could predict what the new virus had in store, or for how long. They offered generous early retirement packages and long-term voluntary leaves, hoping to stem the cash haemorrhage until passenger demand returned. When Covid-19 brought the industry to the brink of collapse and rattled airline executives, carriers were quick to shed employees, retire aircraft, suspend routes and cut costs wherever they could. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |