Boeing Forecasts Growing Need for New Pilots in Asia Pacific Region

Boeing has predicted that the Asia Pacific region will continue to lead the globe in demand for hundreds of thousands of new commercial airline pilots and maintenance technicians to support expanding demand for new airplane deliveries over the next two decades.

The 2013 Boeing Pilot & Technician Outlook, a bellwether industry forecast of aviation personnel demand, calls for 192,300 new commercial airline pilots and 215,300 new technicians in the Asia Pacific region through 2032.

"There is a very real, urgent demand for competent aviation personnel globally, and the Asia Pacific region is particularly impacted," said Bob Bellitto, global sales director, Boeing Flight Services. "While Boeing is investing in cutting-edge technologies to attract and retain young people interested in careers in aviation, this is an industry-wide issue that can only be solved with industry-wide solutions."

Leading the region in projected demand for new pilots and technicians:

China – 77,400 pilots and 93,900 technicians
Southeast Asia – 48,100 pilots and 50,300 technicians

Other parts of the region will also continue to see long-term demand in the tens of thousands of pilots and technicians:

Southwest Asia will need 30,900 pilots and 28,500 technicians
Northeast Asia will need 18,500 pilots and 25,500 technicians
The Oceania region will need 17,400 pilots and 17,100 technicians

"Aviation is a great field to be in. We have a responsibility to make sure it's a viable career option for the world's youth," said Bellitto. "Tomorrow's aviation workforce is going to be very different than their present-day peers. We need to focus on their expectations for learning, moving away from paper and chalkboard-based techniques to incorporate tablets, eBooks, gaming technology and three-dimensional models."

The Pilot & Technician Outlook is closely tied to projections for new airplane deliveries around the globe. As it does with personnel demand, the Asia Pacific region also leads the demand for new commercial airplane deliveries over the next 20 years, with 12,820 new airplanes needed by 2032 according to Boeing's 2013 Current Market Outlook.

In April 2013, Boeing announced the decision to install two new full-flight simulators - a 777 and Next-Generation 737 - at its Singapore training campus. The simulators are expected to be ready for training in early to mid-2014.

The added 737 training capability will help meet demand as customers in Southeast Asia as well as, Japan, Korea and China take delivery of new airplanes. Airlines in China and Indonesia, as well as in the Middle East and Africa, will benefit from the increased 777 training capacity.