AVIATION'S GOT THE CAREERS - BUT ARE YOU READY?

Now that Covid is receding into being a bad dream and the aviation industry is bouncing back strongly, the aviation press, blogs and websites are abuzz with predictions that we're facing a massive skills shortage. The only way to address this is by dramatically ramping up training to ensure an ongoing flow of new professionals into the industry

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WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORDS ‘career’ and ‘aviation industry’ together, the first reaction is to think ‘pilot’. But aviation is an enormous industry and accordingly has a requirement for an imposing spread of skills.

From the front to the rear of an aircraft and from the ground up to its cruise altitude, there are people, skills and jobs that are the ‘wind beneath the wings’ of the industry. These are the maintenance technicians, ground-handlers, loadmasters, despatchers, meteorologists, check-in, passenger handling, cabin crew, pilots, traffic controllers, administration, caterers – the list is a long one and includes such a wide range of skills that almost anyone can find a suitable aviation career in which to get qualified.

Boeing recently released its Pilot and Technician Outlook, which projected a demand for 850,000 new pilots over the next 20 years. This is double the current workforce and the most significant demand in the Outlook’s twelve-year history.

And it’s not only the ‘pointy end’ that will need more people. Maintenance engineer demand is projected at 650,000, and commercial cabin crew a staggering 900,000 people, mostly due to changes in fleet mix, regulatory requirements, denser seat configurations and multi-cabin configurations that offer more personalised service.

NOT JUST PILOTS

Collectively, the business aviation and civil helicopter sectors will also demand an additional 155,000 pilots, 132,000 technicians and 32,000 new cabin crew to support business aviation.

The demand is being driven by an expected doubling of the global commercial fleet, a recordhigh air travel demand and a tightening labour supply.