According to the latest report from The Boeing Company, the global market’s demand for pilots has increased by 4% compared to last year’s estimation.

With commercial aviation facing pilot shortage, the airline industry will need to recruit 558,000 new pilots, 609,000 aircraft maintenance technicians and 38,000 new commercial aircrafts in the next 20 years in order to meet the surging demands for air travel.

The Asia-Pacific region especially requires the most number of pilots at 226,000, which accounts for about 40% of the overall demand.

UDN reports, there are major airlines that take advantage of the aviation shortage crisis. All Nippon Airways (ANA) has established a pilot training school, Pan Am International Flight Training Center (PIFTC), together with Nok Air and other airlines last September. So far there are ten Thai-based low-cost airlines training their pilots at the facility.

China Times reports, Taiwanese airlines, including China Airlines, Eva Airways, TransAsia Airways and V Air, have resorted to generous salaries and benefits to tackle the aviation crisis.

But a pilot working at China Airlines for more than 20 years says, the regular monthly salary for a pilot in Taiwan is NT$ 200,000 (approximately US$ 6,300), which is much less than China’s NT$ 300,000 (approximately US$ 9,500).

A senior employee in the business points out, if we can’t stop China from poaching our pilots, Taiwan’s aviation industry will face an even more serious problem of labor shortage in the future.

Translated by June
Edited by Olivia Yang

Sources:
UDN
China Times