Boeing says world needs 558,000 commercial airline pilots over the next 20 years
There's good news for anyone who secretly harbours dreams of being an airline pilot – Boeing reckons that the world will need 558,000 new pilots over the next 20 years, four per cent more than forecast a year ago.
The "pilot and technician outlook" said that airliners will spend more than $5.6 trillion to buy 38,000 airplanes, while an extra 609,000 new commercial airline maintenance technicians must be trained to service them.
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The report said that this will be driven by the increasing number of well-off people in countries such as China, and the likelihood that they will want to use air travel.
"To help address this need, Boeing trained last year a record number of pilots and technicians at 17 training campuses around the globe and has invested in a comprehensive pilot development programme to train early stage pilots to become qualified commercial airline pilots," said Sherry Carbary, vice president, Boeing flight services.
"We will continue to increase the amount of training we provide, enabling our customers to satisfy the world's growing appetite for air travel."
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"The challenge of meeting the global demand for airline professionals will not be solved by one company alone."
"Aircraft manufacturers, airlines, training equipment manufacturers, training delivery organizations, regulatory agencies and educational institutions are all stepping up to meet the increasing need to train and certify pilots and technicians."