This statistic gives the projected number of unfilled U.S. commercial airline pilot jobs from 2016 to 2018 and gives a forecast through 2026. In 2026, there will be a pilot deficit of over ***** in the United States, as more captains are retiring and fewer young people are interested in a career in commercial aviation.

This statistic gives the projected number of new pilots in the aviation industry worldwide between 2021 and 2040, with a breakdown by region. During this period, Asian airlines are forecasting to hire up to ******* new pilots, as air traffic in Asia Pacific is expected to rise at an annual growth rate of five percent in the next 20 years.

It is widely known that there is a pilot shortage in the United States – a view seemingly supported by the figures: by 2016 there were only around ******* pilots in the U.S. from over ******* in 1990. This figure has climbed slightly in recent years though, reaching ******* in 2020. U.S. pilot certification types Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pilot certifications can be broadly divided into three categories: students, private use (generally) without compensation, which includes several license types covering sport, recreation and personal business; and licenses which allow pilots to transport passengers commercially, either with some restrictions (‘Commercial Pilot’) or without (‘Airline Transport Pilot’). Military pilots are not included, but can apply to the FAA to have their military qualifications recognized. Reasons for the shortageOne common reason cited for the shortage in pilots is the decline in wages following the deregulation of the industry from the late 1970s. This has led to fewer recruits, with the number of student pilots falling sharply between 1990 and 2009. Although student numbers have started increasing again in recent years, there is a question over whether this will be sufficient. In 2020, the number of pilots aged over 45 was around ******, while the demand for air travel has been growing strongly and consistently over the last decade. In total, it is estimated that around ****** additional pilots will be needed across the Americas between 2019 and 2029.

Airline pilots in the Americas are younger than those in other regions, with an average age of 48 years. This compares to Europe, which has the youngest average age of **** years. The U.S. pilot shortage The higher average age of pilots in the Americas is related to the current pilot shortage in the United States. U.S. pilot numbers have been steadily dropping since the 1990’s, although there has been a slight increase in recent years. As is to be expected from such a figure, this is correlated to an underlying decline in the number of student pilots, increasing the average age through fewer young pilots entering the workforce. Two reasons are generally given to explain the U.S. pilot shortage. First is the decrease in pilot wages following industry deregulation, making the career less attractive to young people. Second is the increased difficulty of obtaining pilot training. The advent of drones has reduced the demand for pilots in the military (previously a fertile recruiting ground for commercial airlines), while the cost of private flight training can exceed 100,000 U.S. dollars. Global pilot demand While the pilot shortage in the United States is the most acute, all regions are expected to have high demand for new pilots over the next decade. This is likely to create even more pressure on the U.S. pilot shortage through increased global competition for what pilots are available. Already some effects of this are starting to be seen, with high wages designed to attract international pilots being offered in places like the China and the Middle East.

Quarantine regulations and the rise of remote work reshaped the corporate landscape, reducing the need for business travel and prompting many companies to adopt work-from-home policies to retain talent and cut operational expenses. Despite these challenges, the charter flight industry saw a surge in demand for private travel due to safety concerns and a desire for comfortable travel. This shift in consumer preference opened a new market for premium travel, incentivizing charter flight providers to expand their offerings and fleet sizes. Revenue is expected to increase at a CAGR of 8.0% to $40.5 billion through the end of 2025, including growth of 2.1% in 2025 alone. The charter flight industry continues to experience growth as travelers prefer the luxury and convenience of charter flights. While domestic travel rebounds, private travel remains attractive to high-income individuals and businesses seeking flexibility and exclusivity. The industry benefits from significant federal investments from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, with $25.0 billion allocated to improvements that indirectly support charter operations by improving the airport infrastructure. Charter operators face increased competition from major airlines expanding their charter networks and a tightening labor market due to pilot shortages, prompting operators to offer improved compensation to retain skilled pilots, which, in combination with price competition, pressures profit. In the next five years, there will be increased competition within the charter flight industry as companies focus on expanding value-added services and diversifying their fleets. Federal scrutiny and regulatory changes by the FAA aim to standardize safety across the industry, potentially raising compliance costs. The market will capitalize on technological advancements in aircraft design, emphasizing fuel efficiency and improved aerodynamics. The emergence of membership models will offer new growth avenues, attracting young professionals and entrepreneurs to charter services. Continued monetary policy easing will facilitate financing for smaller operators, allowing them to invest in higher-quality aircraft and compete in regional markets, while established enterprises will dominate the premium travel segment. Industry revenue is set to expand at a CAGR of 1.6% to an estimated $43.7 billion through the end of 2030.

The scheduled Indian aviation industry had nearly ** thousand airline personnel in financial year 2023. IndiGo had the highest percentage of this total personnel employed in its private airlines in that year. It employed over ** thousand personnel, among which more than **** thousand were pilots and co-pilots. Foreign hires In 2021, the regulating body for civil aviation issued *** commercial pilot licenses. However, there was a shortage of type-rated commanders due to the induction of new types of aircraft and the expanding fleet. IndiGo, had the most foreign pilot recruitments. This was followed by GoAir and AllianceAir. On a year-over-year basis, the number of foreign pilots flying in India rose by over ***** times. Airlines were expected to draw and submit a phase out plan for expat pilots. Maintenance, repair and overhaul-MRO In order to achieve a **** trillion U.S. dollar economy, recently the government while announcing the economic restructuring of the aviation sector, reduced the goods and service tax from ** percent to **** percent for this sector. The contribution of this sector in the global MRO sector was minuscule, but with a growing fleet size, this share was expected to increase. By 2032, the market size of the MRO sector in India was estimated to be almost **** times that in 2022.

The number of international pilots with foreign aircrew temporary authorization (FATA) rose to *** in 2019. There was a sharp rise in the number compared to the previous year; increasing by more than *** percent. FATA's which allowed pilots to fly in India, were issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in India. Pilots from ** countries obtained FATA's in 2019. The reason attributed to this was the shortage of pilots who were at the commander level in India. Most of these pilots were from European countries.

In 2023, Delta had ******* full-time equivalent employees. This was a significant increase from the ****** employees registered in the previous year. Using full-time equivalent employees as a measure can be useful when comparing headcount to revenue, profits, or other industry metrics.      Delta's position in the airline industry For the accounting period of 2023, Delta Air Lines reported revenue earnings of ** billion U.S. dollars, a significant increase from the previous year. That same year, the airline company held total assets worth approximately **** billion U.S. dollars. Delta Air Lines is considered the leading airlines in the United States, based on its revenue and brand value.     Employees in the airline industry   One of the challenges the airline industry is an increasing shortage of pilots: a predicted ****** pilots will join the industry by 2029, however, demand for pilots is well above that figure with the projected shortage of airline pilots expected to continue. An additional challenge that the air transportation industry faces is one of unequal gender distribution: the top levels of management in the airline industry lacks gender diversity, with many roles being dominated by men. In 2021, around ** percent of the CEOs of leading airline groups were men. 

In 2022, DGCA issued 1165 commercial pilot licenses (CPLs) for aircraft pilots in India. There was a constant increase in the number of CPLs issued during the observed time frame. There was a shortage of type-rated pilot-in-command. To overcome this shortage, foreign pilots were issued temporary authorizations to fly in the country. Over the past few years, there was a significant rise in the number of foreign pilots.