A critical shortage of pilots is posing challenges as the travel season gets into full swing. According to aviation expert Patrick Arnzen, the major contributor to this scarcity is the impending retirement of over half of the current pilots who are above 50 years old.
Arnzen projects that this shortage will take several years to remedy, echoing a Boeing report that forecasts a demand for over 600,000 pilots by 2041. This yearly demand, estimated at 33,500 pilots, contrasts starkly with the FAA’s issuance of just 9,000 airline transport certificates in 2022.
Various solutions are being considered to address this issue, one of which is to increase the mandatory retirement age for pilots from 65 to 67 – a proposal currently before the FAA.
A broader approach under consideration involves improving pay and work rules to make the profession more appealing. Arnzen notes that this approach is already attracting people to the field, who previously may not have considered a career as an airline pilot.
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