891 New Pilot Jobs -- 190 More Than Feb. 2006

The folks at AIR, Inc. told ANN Wednesday that airline pilot hiring continued strong in February, with 891 new pilot jobs created for the month -- a large increase from the 701 pilots hired the same time last year. Out of the 90,970 pilots employed industry wide, 6,410 are currently on furlough; there were 8,418 on furlough this time last year. AIR, Inc. forecasts 8,500 new airline pilot jobs in 2007 -- 2,300 at the major carriers alone.

Comair pilots, represented by the Airline Pilots Association, ratified their tentative contract March 2. The deal includes: pay freeze for all pilots; one-year contract extension from 2006 to 2007; and a "seat-lock" clause to keep pilots that are flying larger aircraft locked into their position for 30 months. In exchange for the pilot concessions, Comair will add 35 new aircraft to their current fleet of 164 jets.

Delta CEO Jerry Grinstein told employees that they will "have to grow Asia, and I don't mean exclusively China." Delta will start Shanghai service in 2008 and is considering creating a hub for Asia at Los Angeles.

Northwest Airlines reported a pre-tax profit of $301 million in 2006. "To report an annual pre-tax profit is another major milestone in Northwest's restructuring efforts," said president and CEO Doug Steenland. This is the first year-end profit Northwest has posted in six years.

World passenger traffic for 2007 is forecasted to improve in 2007. Middle East traffic is up 7.5 percent, Asia/Pacific has increased 7.4 percent, and Europe is up 6.5 percent. International traffic grew 6.6 percent in 2006.

Airbus is forecasting that China will need 3,030 passenger and freight aircraft to meet growing demand. Airbus broke down the numbers further by adding that China will need to purchase 2,050 single aisle jets, 800 small/intermediate twin-aisle, and 180 very light jets between the years 2006-2025.

AIR, Inc.'s next Job Fair will be held in Los Angeles on March 24. Airlines and exhibitors already signed up to attend include: Majors-AirTran, Alaska, Delta, Southwest, UPS. Nationals-AirNet, Mesa, Mesaba, Pinnacle, Republic Airways, Skywest. Jet Operators and Non-jet Operators: Ameriflight, Amerijet, Compass. Foreign, Fractionals, and Crew Leasing-Avantair, Bond, Cathay Pacific, Eagle Jet International, Crew Resources Worldwide. Others and Exhibitors: CAE Simuflight, United States Navy Reserve , ALPA, Higher Power Aviation.

FMI: www.jet-jobs.com