Industry Personnel Shortages Effect Even the Big Players

By: Gene Yarbrough

Over the next 20 years, Boeing projects a continued significant demand for aviation personnel as the global commercial airplane fleet continues to expand.

The company’s 2024 Pilot and Technician Outlook (PTO) shows the industry will require nearly 2.4 million new professionals to support the growing commercial fleet and meet the long-term increase in air travel.

According to the latest PTO, commercial carriers will need the following new personnel through 2043 to sustain the global commercial fleet:

• 674,000 pilots
• 716,000 maintenance technicians
• 980,000 cabin crew members

"Driven by aviation traffic trending above pre-pandemic levels, personnel attrition and commercial fleet growth, the demand for aviation personnel continues to rise," said Chris Broom, vice president, Commercial Training Solutions, Boeing Global Services. “We are focused on being a reliable and innovative partner in the lifecycle of aviation training. Our offerings are rooted in competency-based training and assessment programs to help ensure high quality aviation training starting in flight schools and in commercial operations while helping enhance aviation safety through immersive and virtual training solutions.”

Through 2043, the PTO projects:

• Demand for new personnel driven primarily by single aisle airplanes, except in Africa and Middle East where widebody airplane demand leads.
• Eurasia, China and North America drive demand for more than half of new industry personnel.
• South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa are the fastest-growing regions for personnel with staffing demand expected to more than triple over 20 years.
• Two-thirds of new personnel will address replacement due to attrition, while one-third supports growth in the commercial fleet.

As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing's diverse team is committed to innovating for the future, leading with sustainability, and cultivating a culture based on the company's core values of safety, quality and integrity. Join our team and find your purpose at boeing.com/careers. As the aviation industry continues its slow but consistent trend away from being an attractive career option companies will struggle to attract the talented personnel so crucial to maintaining a superior level of safety the industry is known for. The recent Boeing quality escapes may be a foreboding of these very challenges the company expressed.

FMI: www.boeing.com