AIR, Inc.

ATLANTA, GA – Aviation Information Resources, Inc. (AIR, Inc.), the largest and most reliable source for airline pilot information, released the airline pilot hiring numbers for 2006 this month in its 2007 Airline Pilot Hiring Forecast, attached.

“Airlines reporting to AIR, Inc. last January forecast hiring up to 6,700 pilots in 2006,” said Kit Darby, President of AIR, Inc. “The largest hiring increase came from the National airlines which forecast hiring 2,100 of the 6,700 pilots. For the ninth straight year the National carriers dominated the industry, adding 3,233 new pilot jobs to their sector - a increase of 1,133 from what they had originally forecast hiring.”

The Major carriers came in second, hiring 2,276 pilots - Southwest Airlines lead that category in hiring with 604 new pilot jobs, followed by Continental with 435, JetBlue with 381, FedEx with 345, and AirTran hiring 226 pilots in ‘06. The Non-Jet Operators, for the first time in five years came in third hiring 918 pilots and the Jet Operators finished fourth with 611 new pilot jobs for 2006.

The attached forecast reflects the history of U.S. pilot hiring from 1998 through 2007E, organized by different career categories: major, national, jet regional, non-jet regional, fractional, upstart, and training. According to its forecast, AIR, Inc. estimates up to 8,510 new airline pilot positions for 2007.

The straight math trend for the last 3 years predicts 8,371 new pilot positions for 2007, which could go higher depending on the domestic and international economies, and three other main forces - pilot retirement, airline growth and foreign demand for U.S. pilots.

Pilot retirement at the majors will decrease over the next five years as existing pilots start working until age 65 rather than age 60, reducing total retirements in the next five years by about 3,800. Major passenger and freight airlines currently have over 4,263 jets, and their orders total 553 with options for an additional 1,656. Roughly 40% percent of these new aircraft will replace existing jets; the rest are for growth and will require additional pilots. Fleet plans are in a state of flux as passenger airlines try to align themselves with current market conditions. Significant increases in aircraft utilization could create a demand for additional pilots or recalls without new aircraft deliveries.

For additional information on airline pilot hiring – past, present, or future – call AIR, Inc.