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 2001 this month in their 2001 Airline Pilot Hiring Forecast, attached. The forecast reflects the history of US pilot hiring from 1994 through 2001E, breaking it down by the different categories: major, national, jet regional, regional, upstart, and training. According to their forecast, AIR, Inc. estimates another 14,500 new airline pilot positions for 2001, that’s in addition to the all-time record of 19,027 new positions 2000 yielded.

"The straight math average for the last 5 years predicts 20,541 new pilot positions for 2001, but we estimate 14,500 new positions for the year, which could go higher depending on the domistic and international economies, and two other main forces, pilot retirement*, and airline growth**", said Kit Darby, President of AIR, Inc. "In the final analysis, the actual numbers for airline pilot hiring in 2001 will fall somewhere in between 12,500 and 15,500. If we are even close to these figures, it will be another great year in hiring."

*Pilot retirement will continue to increase as existing pilots reach age 60, from about 1,415 in 2001 to over 2,373 by 2007. **Major passenger and freight airlines currently have over 4,400 jets and their orders total 1,026 with options for an additional 1,788 bring the new aircraft total to 7,214, an increase of 64%. Roughly 40% of these new aircraft will replace existing jets, the rest are for growth and will require additional pilots.

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