The Air
Line Pilots Association (ALPA), the main union representing airplane pilots,
and industry executives both agree that the
pilot shortage is stabilizing.
A
combination of the pandemic and mandatory retirement age helped lead to a pilot
shortage at the beginning of this decade.
More
than 11,000 candidates received their certification in the last year.
The
good news comes in the wake of the third reauthorization bill approved by
Congress for the Federal Aviation Administration. It expires on May 10.
Analysis on the Pilot Shortage
“Now
is not the time to introduce uncertainty into the safest aviation system in the
world as pilot production continues at a record pace and hiring is slowing
down,” said Capt. Jason Ambrosi, ALPA president. “However, it is
long past time for Congress to give the FAA the funding and policy direction it
needs, without compromising safety or making arbitrary changes to our nation’s
aviation regulations. … The
system is working as intended, we’re producing more than enough pilots, and
we’re experiencing the safest period in U.S. aviation history, thanks in large
part to the highly trained pilots on every flight. However, all stakeholders
have an obligation to remain vigilant and play an active role in the operations
of the most complex aviation system on the planet.”
ALPA
highlighted recently released FAA pilot-production data, indicating that the
U.S. is consistently certifying a greater number of airline pilots on a monthly
basis compared to pre-pandemic levels.
In
fact, there might even be a surplus of pilots as some airlines have cut back on
their hiring. Airline analysts have written that the industry is overcoming the
issues.
“The
improved outlook … is primarily driven by higher-than-expected certificates
issued (2022 and 2023 were both records) in addition to slower fleet growth and
modestly lower-than-expected retirements,” according to Goldman Sachs.
The
industry is filled with optimism over the news, especially regional airlines
that were hard-hit by the shortage.
Mesa
Airlines CEO Jonathan Ornstein said, per Avweb.com, “There was a time when none of us could
find first officers. Now I mean, I think we have close to 2,000 applicants for
qualified first officers.”
Commute Air CEO Rick Hoefling agreed and said,
“We can hire first officers. I think almost every regional airline right now
has a stack of first officers. The problem is building their time at the
same time you’re attriting out captains at a pretty high rate in the industry.
We went from a pilot shortage to a captain shortage now in the industry. So the
pendulum is starting to move.”
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