Estimates by the management consulting firm “Oliver Wyman” indicate that the shortage in the number of pilots will be 17,000 in North America in the year 2023.
European airlines do not face the same problem, due to the measures taken by governments during the epidemic period, which had the role of preventing pilots from leaving their jobs.
However, companies are expected to face employment problems within three years, given the recovery of the global aviation sector, according to Oliver Wyman.
Solutions
Aviation experts in the United States believe that the problem lies in the lack of diversity in the cockpit, and official figures indicate that the proportion of white-skinned pilots and flight engineers in the United States is 95.7 percent, while the percentage of men in similar positions is 90.8 percent.
During a recent session of the US Congress, Regional Airlines Association President Faye Mallarkey Black criticized “very limited diversity” among pilots, while Airline Pilots Association President Jason Ambrossi called a solution to the situation in light of the significant shortage of women and people from minorities in the cockpit.
In addition to the need to improve representation at work, hiring people from diverse backgrounds allows companies to make up for the shortfall resulting from pilots choosing to voluntarily leave their jobs when air traffic has seen a drop. important in 2020.
Although demand for flights has since rebounded, airlines cannot count on one of the most important recruiters they relied on, the military.
In 2000, half of the pilots of major airlines were ex-military. Since the army has been equipped with a large number of remote-controlled gadgets, this percentage has dropped to 15%.
Meanwhile, companies have embraced training programs such as United Airlines, which wants half of those entering its flight academy to be women or minorities.
Airline and pilot representatives agree that the cost of pilot training, which can exceed $100,000, excludes a large number of minorities because their resources are limited.
A government working group has recommended increasing awareness campaigns for careers in aviation and setting up specialized scholarships.
It is assumed that the deputies will consider these proposals during a session devoted to discussing a bill concerning the financing of the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States.
Raise the retirement age?
Shortage of pilots expected to be exacerbated by ‘next wave of retirees’, says Regional Airlines Association chief, who believes solution can come quickly from raising mandatory age retirement for pilots aged 65 to 67, in addition to reviewing the rules that require pilots to work a minimum of 1,500 hours before taking control of the aircraft, confirming that they now benefit from a large support of specialized tools.
However, the unions do not express their approval of these solutions.
The president of the Air Line Pilots Association stresses that the minimum hours proposal is risky, pointing to the significant drop in the fatal accident rate recorded since minimum flying hours were reduced from 250 to 1,500 in 2010.
He says: “Addressing the temporary problems facing the aviation sector after the pandemic period, through permanent measures that affect pilot training and qualification, is a reckless and dangerous step.
He believes the impact of pilot retirements is exaggerated, noting that airlines should not attribute the cancellation of regional routes to a shortage of pilots, but rather to the fact that they are not profitable enough.
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