US planemaker Boeing now warns of an acute pilot shortage and forecasts the demand for newcomers will rise to 790,000 in the next 20 years, reports American Shipper
US planemaker Boeing now warns of an acute pilot shortage and forecasts the demand for newcomers will rise to 790,000 in the next 20 years, reports American Shipper. This represents double the current workforce from 2018 to 2037, according to the aircraft manufacturer's newly released 2018 Pilot & Technician Outlook.
Demand will be driven by the doubling of the global commercial aircraft fleet, along with an increase in passenger travel and tightening labour supply.
According to the Boeing forecast, the Asia-Pacific region will lead the global demand for pilots, with a requirement for 261,000 new pilots over the next 20 years, which is followed by North America, 206,000; Europe, 146,000; the Middle East, 64,000; Latin America, 57,000; Africa, 29,000; and Russia/Central Asia, 27,000.
'Despite strong global air traffic growth, the aviation industry continues to face a pilot shortage,' said Boeing vice president Keith Cooper.
Cadet programmes that train pilots from ground up also have increased in popularity as airlines look to provide career programmes and fill their future pilot requirements.
But Boeing's 20-year forecast for aircraft maintenance technicians decreased from 648,000 to 622,000 because of longer maintenance intervals.
Demand for commercial airline cabin crews during the next 20 years will increase slightly from 839,000 to 858,000 due to changes in fleet mix, regulatory requirements, denser seat configurations and multi-cabin configurations, according to Boeing.
