Site Logo

Boeing Forecasts Significant Pilot Shortage at a 10-Year High

Recent Boeing projections show that the world will need to produce twice as many commercial pilots over the next 20 years.

Concerns are mounting in the wake of a recent announcement revealing an unprecedented pilot shortage. According to yearly projections from Boeing (NYSE: BA) for pilots and technicians, the world’s commercial aviation fleet is expected to double over the next 20 years. This will drive a demand for 790,000 pilots, a staggering number who need to be trained and ready to fly a commercial airliner to keep up with the growth.

The result is the greatest demand for pilots in the past decade of Boeing’s annual projections. The prognosis has industry-wide implications in a world where air travel is booming. “Despite strong global air traffic growth, the aviation industry continues to face a pilot labor supply challenge, raising concern about the existence of a global pilot shortage in the near-term,” said Keith Cooper, vice president of Training & Professional Services, Boeing Global Services. “An emphasis on developing the next generation of pilots is key to help mitigate this.”

Close on the heels of the announcement, Coast Flight is uniquely positioned to answer such pilot shortages. Coast’s Airline Career Training (ACT) program outputs new aviators who are career-ready in just 21 months. Through ACT, Coast offers a combination flight training and college degree program that has successfully output graduates into major airline career paths, time and again.

Boeing Forecasts Significant Pilot Shortage at a 10-Year High

By partnering with large airlines such as Envoy Air and American Airlines, Coast can take students from an empty log book to a career as an airline pilot. Program participants receive conditional job offers, allowing most graduates to step into a career with significant earning potential, right out of training. With over 300 conditional job offers accepted by Coast graduates, the ACT program has seen tremendous success. And with the option to continue online learning after becoming a career pilot, the potential for advancing in education follows students, wherever they land.

Boeing Forecasts Significant Pilot Shortage at a 10-Year High

According to Bryan Simmons, president of Coast Flight, “It’s all about who you know. Our strategic partnerships offer our students the connections they need to help them go from zero to hero in a very short time.”