Boeing Forecasts Nearly 1.5 Million Pilots and Technicians Needed by 2035

Boeing released its 2016 Pilot and Technician Outlook on July 25, 2016 at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh and projects a demand for nearly 1.5 million pilots and technicians over the next 20 years.

In its seventh year, the outlook is a respected industry study which forecasts the 20 year demand for crews to support the world's growing commercial airplane fleet. New this year is a look at cabin crew demand.

Boeing forecasts that between 2016 and 2035, the world's commercial aviation industry will require approximately:

• 617,000 new commercial airline pilots
• 679,000 new commercial airline maintenance technicians
• 814,000 new cabin crew

The 2016 outlook shows a growth of 10.5 percent for pilots over the 2015 outlook and 11.3 percent for maintenance technicians. New pilot demand is primarily driven by new airplane deliveries and fleet mix, while new technician demand is primarily driven by fleet growth.

"The Pilot and Technician Outlook has become a resource for the industry to determine demand for successful airline operations" saidSherry Carbary, vice president, Boeing Flight Services. "Cabin crew are an integral part of operating an airline, and while Boeing does not train cabin crew like pilots and technicians, we believe the industry can use these numbers for planning purposes."
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The outlook represents a global requirement for about 31,000 new pilots, 35,000 new technicians and 40,000 cabin crew annually. Projected demand for new pilots, technicians and cabin crew by global region for the next 20 years is approximately:
Region               New Pilots    New Technicians   New Cabin Crew
Asia-Pacific        248,000        268,000                 298,000
Europe               104,000        118,000                 169,000
North America    112,000        127,000                 151,000
Latin America     51,000          50,000                   51,000
Middle East        58,000          66,000                   92,000
Africa                  22,000          24,000                   27,000
Russia/CIS         22,000          26,000                   26,000

The Asia-Pacific region comprises 40 percent of the global need due to the growth in the single-aisle market which is driven by low-cost carriers, while North America is the result of new markets opening in Cuba and Mexico, and demand in Europe has increased as a response to a strong intra-European Union market.

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