ATLANTA, GA – Aviation Information Resources, Inc. (AIR, Inc.), the largest and most reliable source for airline pilot information, released total year airline pilot hiring numbers for 2002 this month in its 2002 Airline Pilot Hiring Forecast, attached. The forecast reflects the history of U.S. pilot hiring from 1995 through 2003E, organized by different career categories: major, national, jet regional, non-jet regional, upstart, and training. According to its forecast, AIR, Inc. estimates 7,075 new airline pilot positions for 2003.
“The straight math average for the last 12 months predicts 6,000 new pilot positions for 2003, which could go higher depending on the domestic 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 2003 will fall somewhere in between 6,500 and 7,500. If we are even close to these figures, it will be an improvement over 2002.”
Pilot retirement will continue to increase as existing pilots reach age 60, from about 1,310 in 2003 to 2,064 in 2008 with a total of 11,010 pilot retirements in the next five years. Major passenger and freight airlines currently have over 4,470 jets and their orders total 590 with options for an additional 1,880.
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 and cargo airlines try to right size to current market conditions.
For additional information on airline pilot hiring – past, present, or future – call AIR, Inc. 800 JET-JOBS (538-5627)
