03/08/2021
"The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated," quipped Mark Twain when told by a reporter that Twain was widely believed to be on his death bed in London. And so it is for the lot of career airline pilots. The pre-COVID shortage is expected to return as soon as 2023 according to a report by consulting firm Oliver Wyman, with demand exceeding supply by around 50,000. What does that mean for your dream of flying as a career? The short answer is that if you've taken a break from flight training, don't ditch your headset just yet. If you haven't yet started and are wondering when to jump in, the time is now.
Pre-COVID, airline industry global growth was strong and the pilot shortage was making itself felt, forcing many regional carriers to offer sign-on bonuses of up to $50,000 cash to direct flow captains. With HR departments awash in resumes from qualified applicants, the bonuses are gone but line pilots are reporting that that they are receiving "ticklers" from airlines asking them to make sure their resume or airline apps applications are up to date. United's "Aviate" program, which primarily flows pilots from United Express regional carriers into United Airlines has apparently been reactivated.
The COVID era will soon be behind us. Get started on the future, now.
The pandemic-paused pilot shortage will be felt again by 2023 and back with a vengeance by 2025, according to a new study on the pilot supply. The report, by the consulting firm of Oliver Wyman, says the aviation industry could be short as many as 50,000 pilots worldwide by the middle of the decade....
