Aircraft
Frenzied Global Demand and Looming Shortage Drive Market for Pilots
In the U.S., the aviation market has exploded, with airlines expected to hire a record 12,000 pilots this year.
Flight training providers have seen unprecedented growth in demand for flight instruction. (Photo: L3Harris)
Training providers have seen unprecedented growth in demand for flight instruction. (Photo: L3Harris)

Aviation training and simulator companies expect the demand for pilots to increase faster than industry observers previously believed it would.

L3Harris’s forecast for pilot demand, based on data related to its academy business, indicates a need by 2030 for some 350,000 additional pilots, about a third resulting from attrition and about two-thirds from escalating demand. “That’s a staggering number in such a short period of time,” David Coward, L3Harris v-p and general manager for training services, told AIN.