Asian airlines need pilots?

Asia would need almost a whopping 200,000 pilots over the next two decades, with China and India accounting for the bulk of the demand, a study by US aircraft manufacturer Boeing has said.

Fast-growing airlines in Asia, particularly in China, India and Middle East, would need as many as 185,600 new pilots and 243,500 new technicians over the next 20 years, the study said apparently advising pilots to make a beeline to the continent for jobs.

“This great need for aviation personnel is a global issue, but it’s hitting the Asia Pacific region particularly hard,” Bob Bellitto, Global Sales Director of Boeing Flight Services said in a statement.

“Some airlines are already experiencing delays and operational interruptions because they don’t have enough qualified pilots. Surging economies in the region are driving travel demand. Airlines and training providers need new and more engaging ways to fill the pipeline of pilots and technicians for the future,” Bellitto said.

The Boeing outlook projects that North East Asia will need 18,800 pilots and 26,500 technicians over the next 20 years. South East Asia will require 51,500 pilots and 67,400 technicians. The Oceania region will need 12,900 pilots and 17,100 technicians and South West Asia will need 31,000 pilots and 33,100 technicians, the statement said.

Airlines in Asia and the Middle East have begun to look for trained pilots in Europe and the Americas, as many established carriers there seek to downsize, in part owing to high personnel costs.

The trade magazine FlightGlobal reported recently that Chinese carriers had hired 100 US pilots during a three-day road show in the United States.

According to WASINC International, which organized the events, starting wages for a three-year contract in China were as much as $200,000 per year, compared with $180,000 in the US.