It has been a few years since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic and flight restrictions were eased. People can travel by air again, but even so, the airline industry is struggling to recover from the losses and faces huge challenges including a critical shortage of pilots. While the lack of new pilots has been an ongoing problem for the industry even before the pandemic, it has become more important in recent years.
In the pre-pandemic period, the main reason for the decline in the number of pilots was that many pilots were too old to fly the aircraft. Most active-duty pilots are from the Baby Boomer generation. With the retirement age set at 65, pilots born in this generation will not be able to legally fly commercial aircraft by 2029. When the pandemic hit, many airlines were forced to lay off, furlough or offer early retirement plans to pilots to help limit their losses. Now that the demand for air travel has increased, there are not enough pilots to handle all the flights.
That is why airlines are looking for and developing solutions to quickly address this shortage in order to reduce the number of flight delays and cancellations. Here are some of the things airlines are doing to increase the number of pilots.
Working closely with pilot schools
Of course, pilot schools are the best source for hiring new pilots. After all, students who undergo and pass commercial pilot training learn the necessary skills and habits to be entrusted with flying commercial aircraft. Typically, student pilots must apply to and be interviewed by a number of airlines before they have a chance of being hired. The process can take several months, which can be a long wait for aspiring pilots. To shorten and simplify procedures, many airlines are working closely with pilot schools. In this way, they can easily tap into the talent pool of a new generation of pilots and offer jobs to students when they graduate.
In addition to providing student pilots with an easy route into the aviation industry, some airlines also offer flight training subsidies. These subsidies provide a way for cadet pilots to enroll in commercial pilot training courses without worrying too much about cost. Airlines that offer these subsidies can cover part of the course fees or provide low-interest loans to student pilots.Therefore, student pilots Philippine Pilot Training Immediately after their training, they can start their aviation career with any airline that works with the flight school of their choice.
expand their workforce qualifications
For the longest time, pilots were largely made up of older men, but over the years, the statistics began to slowly change. Many young women and male adults aspire to become successful commercial pilots. Airlines are expanding their hiring to include younger pilots to replace retiring pilots and augment their cockpit staff. In addition to hiring young pilots, some airlines are also open to hiring pilots from different countries. This is a great way to address the pilot shortage while providing jobs for unemployed pilots.
Reduce the number of aircraft in the fleet
An unconventional solution to the persistent pilot shortage is to reduce the number of aircraft in the fleet. With not enough pilots to operate the planes, many airlines started turning a profit by shrinking their fleets after the travel ban was lifted. Unfortunately, this solution has some drawbacks. Having a smaller fleet means airlines can only operate a few flights a day. They will also have to raise ticket prices to make up for the losses, which could turn off many travelers and deter them from booking with airlines. However, this is a risk that many airlines are willing to take as it is one of the ways they keep operating during the shortage.
Many major airlines are considering opening their own flight school. In this way, they are able to attract aspiring pilots to work for them and gain better control over their personnel needs. To differentiate themselves from aviation schools, many airlines have added incentives to their courses to make them more attractive. Examples of such incentives include full student funding at zero interest, employment preference status, immediate start of company life, and access to flight benefits.
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the aviation industry was at a standstill. With countries imposing travel bans and strict flight restrictions, many airlines have had to lay off large numbers of pilots to stay afloat. Now that air travel is back, airlines don’t have enough pilots to keep up with passenger demand. That’s why they’ve come up with several solutions to the pilot shortage.
