Boeing 787-10. Photo courtesy of Boeing
In Boeing’s newly released 2017 Pilot and Technician Outlook at Experimental Aircraft Assn. (EAA) AirVenture Oshkosh this week, there is an apparent need for more than 1 million pilots and technicians.
This is the eighth year Boeing has released this outlook. It forecasts the 20-year demand for crews to support the commercial airplane fleet. Boeing said that between 2017 and 2036, it forecasts that the world’s commercial aviation industry will require 637,000 new commercial airline pilots, 648,000 new commercial airline maintenance technicians and 839,000 new cabin crew members.
Boeing said the outlook also shows an increase of 3.2% of pilots over its 2016 outlook, as well as a decrease of 4.6% in the need for airline maintenance technicians. The company attributes this, in part, by the reduction in maintenance hours required on the 737 MAX.
Boeing also broke down the numbers by global region. Demand for new pilots, technicians and cabin crew for the next 20 years is largest in Asia-Pacific and smallest in Russia/CIS.