The Global Pilot Shortage

Recently Boeing released their 2013 Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook which predicted that the airline industry will have to hire around one million employees in the next 20 years, half of that number being pilots. Some have questioned Boeings facts and argue that they are just driving the pilot shortage debate for their own agenda, however, reading through Boeings Pilot and Technician outlook it seems that they have done their research. The numbers that they are presenting are not just based on their predictions that they will sell more airplanes, while that is a factor, it is a small consideration. A large portion of the article is dedicated to the research they put into their prediction, areas of research include present day and forecasted global market studies, taking into consideration the condition of the aviation markets and global markets. They have included competitive travel such as high speed rail travel for passengers and cargo as well as information concerning the industries rise in technologies.

            While Boeing has a list of reasons why they believe there will be a pilot shortage,USA Today, in their article Airlines Face a Pilot Shortage, Boeing Report Says narrows it down to three things. First they mention the industries growth and the need for more aircraft. Over the next 20 years there will be a rise in the amount of aircraft bought by airline companies around the world and obviously those aircraft will need to be piloted, USA Today also mentioned the large amount of retirements taking place within the industry, and the fact that there has been a recent rise in training requirements placed by the FAA as a result of the 2009 Colgan Air crash in New York. Consequently we will have more aircraft with fewer people to man then and it will take longer to train more replacements.

           Boeing also predicts that the Asian Pacific region of the world will have the highest need compared to the rest of the world. According to Boeing, China and India’s share in global GDP will rise from 28% to 36% by the year 2032. They believe that air travel to, from and within the region will continue to rise more than any other region. Boeing states that air travel in these regions allows cargo to be delivered over rough land and large bodies of water, The Wall Street Journal states that because of the rising economies in Asia that more middle class people are beginning to travel which will contribute to the need for more aircraft if the trend continues. One of the ways that the region is attempting to deal with their Pilot shortage is by offering competitive wages; in the Wall Street Journal article Chinese Airlines LurePilots with Double the Pay of U.S. Captains Chinese airlines are offering salaries up to $270,000 annually in an attempt to acquire well trained pilots from around the world.

            While the industry has a rough journey ahead and many trails to overcome in the future, challenge is not something that is new to the industry; I believe that when the industry has faced its greatest challenges are the times that it has seen its greatest success.

 

Boeing. (2013). Asia pacific. Retrieved from http://www.boeing.com/boeing/commercial/cmo/asia-pacific.page

Boeing. (2013). Boeing: pilot and technician outlook. Retrieved from http://www.boeing.com/boeing/commercial/cmo/pilot_technician_outlook.page

NG, J. (2013, August 23). Chinese airlines lure pilots with double the pay of u.s. captains. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323455104579012194041354578.html

Trejos, N. (2013, August 29). Airlines face a pilot shortage, boeing report says. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2013/08/29/airlines-face-a-pilot-shortage-boeing-report-says/2725815/