Airline pilot demand back to pre-pandemic levels

Major airlines added 1,139 pilots to their rolls during January and February, marking a 34-percent drop compared with the same period in 2024, according to data from the Future and Active Pilots Alliance (FAPA). Full-year hiring also declined sharply to 4,834 in 2024 from 12,196 in 2023 and 13,128 at the recent peak in 2022.

Tim Genc, executive editor at FAPA, said the aviation job fairs that his group organizes reflect the ever-changing needs of the air transport industry. During 2022 and 2023 the bulk of attendees at FAPA events were carriers that were “hiring like gangbusters,” he said. Pilots did not have to make the rounds at job fairs because finding work at that time did not require much legwork. “Now there are more individual pilots showing up because it is harder to get those jobs.”

The recent decline in opportunities is part of the traditional cyclicality of the air transport business. “What we are seeing now is not abnormal. With the airlines, everything seems to ebb and flow,” said Abbey Hutter, executive director at JSfirm, an online resource for people seeking jobs in aviation. “They go too hard and too fast with hiring. It tends to be feast or famine.”

Job hunters should not despair, though, because prospects are likely to improve as deliveries of new aircraft ramp up and allow airlines to expand their fleets, and pilot retirements continue to create demand for new candidates. Hutter said there are certain operators, including airlines and many FAR Part 135 and Part 91 companies, that are rapidly adding pilots to their rosters. “United Airlines is not going to slow down. NetJets and other charters are also hiring. Helicopter operators are not slowing at all,” she said.

Because the retirement trend among older pilots is not expected to peak until 2026 or 2027, FAPA’s Genc said, opportunities should continue to surface. The employment picture is not experiencing a true downturn but is returning to its pre-pandemic level.

“If we look at the numbers historically, 2024 was still a good year,” Genc said. “Use this downtime to dust off your résumé, practice interview skills, polish your craft, and talk to human beings.”

Aviation is still a small community in which personal relationships are important. Pilots seeking jobs must actively make and maintain contacts who might let them know when openings and other opportunities arise. “In aviation the ‘who you know’ still matters,” Genc said.

Commercial aviation is also a challenging industry that sometimes deals disappointment and frustration to pilots pursuing careers. Many people, especially those who like a steady, predictable employment experience, simply are not cut out for this type of work.

“You have to love aviation,” Genc said. “If the smell of jet fuel does something for you, the industry will have a place for you.”