Boeing has forecast that the commercial aviation industry will require 466,650 pilots and 596,500 maintenance personnel over the next 20 years given the strong demand for new and replacement aircraft.
This translates into an average of 23,300 new pilots and 30,000 new maintenance personnel per year between 2010 and 2029, adds the airframer.
The forecasted number of pilots required in the next 20 years is twice the 233,000 pilots in the industry currently, while the number of maintenance personnel required is six times of the 100,000 such personnel today, says Roei Ganzarski, chief customer officer, Boeing Training and Flight Services.
This is the first time that Boeing is releasing such a forecast, which is based upon its current market outlook for aircraft.
"When you add up all the numbers, you quickly understand the issues facing this industry," he adds. "Our challenge is adapting our training to engage the future generation of people who will fly and maintain the more than 30,000 airplanes that will be delivered by 2029," says Ganzarski.
The largest growth will be in the Asia Pacific, with a requirement for 180,600 pilots and 220,000 maintenance personnel. Within Asia, China will experience the greatest growth with 70,600 pilots and 96,400 maintenance personnel.
North America will need 97,350 pilots and 137,000 maintenance workers, Europe 94,800 and 122,000 respectively, Africa 13,200 and 15,000 respectively, the Middle East 32,700 and 44,500 respectively, Latin America 37,000 pilots and 44,000 respectively, and the CIS 11,000 and 14,000 respectively.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
