Air travel has become an integral part of society’s daily lives. Today’s society is much more connected today thanks to air travel than ever before. A trip across the United States that 100 years ago would have taken months now can be completed in hours. According to a New York Times there are more than 30,000 flights daily carrying over two million passengers. Because of the volume of flights, coupled with the shortage of qualified pilots and mechanics, careers in aviation have a bright outlook.
There are many potential reasons for these shortages that will result in a bright outlook for those interested in entering the aviation field. In looking at pilots some of the factors include the mandatory retirement age of 65, new training requirements, increased rest time between flights and the loss of pilots to overseas airlines. Add in the facts that between “2000 and 2012 the unemployment rate for pilots was just 2.7%” and that “last year 11 out of the 12 regional airlines have fallen short of their hiring targets” this leads to great promise in the outlook for a career as a pilot. CNN reports that over the next 20 years there will be a demand for almost half a million pilots worldwide. In the United States alone according to a GAO report airlines will be hiring 1,900 to 4,500 pilots each year. These numbers show that for someone interested in becoming a pilot the outlook is very bright.
In addition to the shortage of pilots in the industry there has also been a shortage of qualified mechanics. When looking at the field there have been decreased opportunities as well as decreased salary and benefits in these positions over recent history due to the various mergers completed over the past decade. Add in the cost of training for aviation mechanics couple with the fact that there are fewer schools to train them and the fact that auto mechanics made more over the last decade and it is clear why there has been a shortage.
However, given that these airlines are now merged and seeing greater profits and dealing with a shortage of qualified individuals it is expected that the salary and benefits for these positions will be on the rise. Overall given these factors this bodes well for an individual looking to get into this career.
Ultimately it is clear that there are many factors that have resulted in a staffing shortage when it comes to aviation positions. It is also clear that because of these shortages that individuals looking to move into this field will have many opportunities and that the outlook is bright for those interested in this field.