ASQ12-EN Final

SPECIAL FEATURE: TRAINING REPORT 2018
PILOT DEMAND
WITH THE NEED FOR INCREASED CONNECTIVITY COMES A GLOBAL DEMAND FOR PILOTS. THE
ASIA PACIFIC LEADS THE DEMAND FOR GROWTH, REQUIRING 261,000 PILOTS BY 2037, ACCORDING
TO BOEING’S 2018 PILOT OUTLOOK. PILOT DEMAND IS DRIVEN BY INCREASED NUMBERS OF
PASSENGERS, AIR CARGO AND MORE WIDESPREAD AIRCRAFT UTILIZATION IN VARIOUS FIELDS
INCLUDING FARMING (CROP DUSTING, AERIAL MUSTERING) AND EMERGENCY SERVICES, SUCH AS
PATIENT TRANSPORTATION.
2027
COMMERCIAL
+90,000
Pilots
HELICOPTER
+9,600
Pilots
BUSINESS JET
NOTE:
Airline pilot demand figure source: CAE
Airline Pilot Demand Outlook Report.
+2,850
Pilots
COMMERCIAL
Airlines are the largest driver of pilot demand. According to CAE’s
“Airline Pilot Demand Outlook” report, the annual global passenger
number is projected to increase by 1.6 billion to 4.8 billion by 2027.
More passengers drive aircraft production, which, in turn, drives
demand for more pilots to operate new aircraft.
An airliner is flown by two pilots at any given time; however, extra
pilots are required on long-haul flights to comply with maximum
flight time limitations. Moreover, since pilots typically fly around
15 days a month, pilots need to work in shifts, further increasing
the pilot-per-aircraft ratio. The exact ratio is determined by aircraft
utilization and aviation authority regulations. One regional aircraft
may require 10 pilots, and one wide-body jet may need up to 16
pilots to operate frequent long-haul flights.
Airlines are expected to create jobs for 255,000 new pilots over
the next 10 years in Asia Pacific: 70% of these will accommodate
for fleet growth and the remaining 30% will replace pilots who
retire or switch profession. The Asia Pacific also needs to address
the issue of retiring pilots. With an average pilot age of 46 as of
2016 pointed out by CAE’s report, the industry will lose a good
number of qualified and trained pilots in the coming years as they
reach the mandatory 65 years old retirement age. This means
that the industry will demand not just more pilots overall, but
disproportionately more highly experienced pilots, to place them
into captain positions previously occupied by older employees.
14 | ASIAN SKY QUARTERLY — THIRD QUARTER 2018