Current Airline Pilot Hiring OutlookCareer Pilot Demand Forecast for 2025
2025 is the time to become an airline pilot. Pilots training today face a bright career outlook with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting 18,500 openings each year, and several key factors driving long-term demand for qualified pilots.
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Ongoing Pilot Shortage
In its 2025-2045 Aerospace Forecast, the FAA projects demand will remain structurally high as steady traffic growth through 2045, ongoing retirements and career progression, and permanently higher labor costs keep staffing a critical challenge for airlines.
The Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook 2025-2044 projects that 119,000 pilots are needed in North America over the next 20 years. Boeing further stated that "competition for qualified pilots will remain strong," and that "aspiring pilots who begin their training today will be well-positioned to seize emerging opportunities by the time they graduate."
The major contributing factors fueling the global pilot shortage include:
- Airline pilot retirements versus pilots training to replace them.
- Increasing demand for air travel with record numbers of passengers.
Consulting firm Oliver Wyman noted that demand for pilots sparked an increase in pay and quality of life, with some salaries increasing as much as 86%. They estimate the pilot shortage to continue well into the decade with a shortfall of 17,000 pilots in 2032. The largest gap between supply and demand is estimated to occur in 2026, with a shortfall of 24,000 pilots.
Airlines are Offering Huge Pay Raises to Pilots: To alleviate a spike in demand post-pandemic coupled with a major labor shortage, airlines are now offering dramatic pay increases to pilots in order to retain and attract new talent.
Retirements Driving Demand for New Pilots
Airline pilots are required to retire at age 65, and an aging workforce approaching this mandatory retirement is creating a shortage of airline pilots. According to estimates compiled by the National Air Carrier Association, there will be 16,000-plus retirements over next five years and a cumulative shortage of 28,126 pilots by 2030.
80,000 Airline Pilots Are Retiring
Over the next 20 years, 80,000 airline pilots are retiring and airlines report hiring needs to keep pace with growth over that same period.
American Airlines Hiring Projections
American Airlines plans to hire 10,000 pilots in the next 5 years. With the average age of a widebody captain being 62 years old, American estimates new hires can expect to become a widebody captain in as little as 10 years.
Delta Air Lines Hiring Projections
Delta Air Lines plans to hire 1,000-plus pilots annually through 2026, to support growth and retirements.
United Airlines Hiring Projections:
United Airlines plans to hire a near-record 2,500 pilots in 2026, with United Express regional airlines increasing hiring 36% year-over-year.
Market Recovery and Growth
The Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook 2025-2044 makes clear that the outlook for new airline pilots is positive and that "competition for qualified pilots will remain strong." As global air travel continues to expand, the report concludes that "demand for pilots is likely to soar." Over the next 20 years, more than 660,000 new pilots will be needed worldwide to meet the needs of commercial operators, emphasizing that "aspiring pilots who begin their training today will be well-positioned to seize emerging opportunities by the time they graduate."
