Training and Workforce
Airline Demands Squeezing Bizav Pilot Supply
It's a good time to be a pilot but a tough time to be a business aircraft owner looking for one.
Pilots in coockpit
(Photo: Pilots Global)

The ability of airlines to attract pilots away from business aviation with lucrative contracts continues to have a deleterious effect on corporate flight department rosters. At the same time, the costs of pilot training remain a serious impediment to addressing the supply shortage, industry experts agree. But clearly, this is a good time to be a pilot.

“Whether it’s business aviation or airlines, the shortage of pilots has created challenges for the operators and opportunities for the pilots,” said David Cox, academy director for L3Harris Flight Academy in Sanford, Florida. “It’s really a very competitive landscape right now where you’ve got the airlines and the corporate operators competing with each other. Good jobs that pay well tend to be able to attract the right type of people. It is also a little bit of a lifestyle choice.