Boeing predicts more than half million pilots in demand in 20 years
Aviation giant Boeing Company said on Thursday that the international airline industry would be requiring the services of a combined million aviators and maintenance crews for the next 20 years, with the bulk of the demand coming from Asia.
From 2010 to 2029, Boeing said that the aviation industry would be hiring 466,650 pilots and 596,5000 maintenance personnel, with up to 180,600 pilots and 220,000 maintenance personnel all required by carriers and airport terminals situated in Asia, most notably in China.
Chief customer officer Roei Ganzarski of Boeing Training and Flight Services told media gathered in Singapore news conference that the industry needs to fill up slots for engineers and mechanics for the coming years while its present task is to adapt "our training to engage the future generation of people who will fly and maintain the more than 30,000 airplanes that will be delivered by 2029."
The US-based aircraft manufacturer said that the international commercial aviation fleet is projected to expand form its 2009 roster of 18,890 planes to a more than double surge of 36,300 by 2029.
Also, global airline group IATA reported that based on their July figures, worldwide air travel saw a much faster improvements as compared to the June data, which the association attributed to the dramatic passenger traffic spikes seen in Asia and specifically China.
IATA Director General Giovanni Bisignani said that following the slump that hit the industry during the height of the global financial crisis, "the industry continues to recover faster than expected, but with sharp regional differences."
Boeing added that for the next two decades in North America, airlines based in the region would need to fill slots for up to 97,350 pilots and 137,000 maintenance personnel while the European would be requiring the service of some additional 94,800 pilots and 122,000 maintenance personnel.