out of the industry and fewer pilots leave the military, the airline industry is rushing to secure new hires quickly, reports management consulting firm Oliver Wyman.
The pilot deficit isn’t relegated to just the U.S. “A global pilot shortage will emerge in certain regions no later than 2023 and most probably before,” with North America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East likely to see the largest dearths, according to the Oliver Wyman analysis. DIA’s passenger traffic for this year “is trending in a positive direction,” said spokesperson Alex Renteria. This February, the airport served around 4.6 million passengers, a slight boost from pre-pandemic numbers in February 2019.
“The age-65 issue isn’t really problematic in and of itself,” Champion said in a telephone interview. Instead, “what’s really placing the heavy demand on pilots” is a combination of factors: early retirements spurred by COVID, regular retirements and expansion occurring at United and other carriers, he added.
They should just lower the standard for becoming a pilot. Problem Solved. Unfortunately that's already happening under the guise of diversity and equity. Raise your hand if you are OK with a pilot who is an 'affirmative action' hire if it makes the workforce more diverse.