The Asia Pacific region continues to drive global demand for commercial pilots, technicians and cabin crew, according to a new report by Boeing.
The 2019 Boeing Pilot & Technician Outlook found the region accounts for more than one-third of anticipated global demand, or 816,000 total new commercial aviation personnel over the next 20 years.
The report also found that over the next 20 years, airlines around the world will need 44,000 new aircraft, with more than 17,000, or 39 per cent, of those aircraft delivered to the Asia Pacific region.
The forecast projects the Asia Pacific region will need 244,000 new commercial pilots, or 38 per cent, of the pilots needed around the globe.
This demand, stemming from a mix of anticipated fleet growth, retirements and attrition, will be most significant in China; the country is expected to need 124,000 pilots, which is more than half of those needed in the region as a whole. Southeast Asia and South Asia follow, with 20 per cent and 17 per cent of the demand respectively.
The Asia Pacific region is also expected to lead global demand for maintenance technicians (249,000, or 39 per cent of global demand) and cabin crew (323,000, or 37 per cent of global demand), with China leading demand for both (124,000 maintenance technicians and 150,000 cabin crew.)
“Demand for personnel in the Asia Pacific region remains significant, and we expect this trend to continue,” said Keith Cooper, vice president of training & professional services for Boeing Global Services. “Boeing supports the full lifecycle of an aircraft to help make sure that our customers have qualified personnel to fly, maintain and staff them.”
The Boeing outlook is closely tied to projections for new aircraft deliveries around the globe, and also takes into account annual aircraft utilisation rates, crewing requirements by region and regulatory requirements.
