China leads Asia Pacific in aviation job growth

Boeing predicts the Asia Pacific region will require hundreds of thousands of new commercial airline pilots and maintenance technicians over the next 20 years to support airline fleet modernisation and the rapid growth of air travel.

The 2012 Boeing Pilot & Technician Outlook, a respected industry forecast of required aviation personnel, calls for 185,600 new pilots and 243,500 new technicians in the Asia Pacific region through 2030. China will have the largest demand in the region, needing 71,300 pilots and 99,400 technicians over the next 20 years.

“This great need for aviation personnel is a global issue, but it’s hitting the Asia Pacific region particularly hard,” said Bob Bellitto, global sales director, Boeing Flight Services. “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.”

Boeing is working globally to meet this anticipated demand. In June, the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation to jointly work to establish aviation training programmes. Boeing is also expanding partnerships around the world to develop a global flight school network to better supply capable and well-qualified aviation personnel.

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.

“As an industry, we have to get the next generation excited about working in the field of aviation,” Bellitto said. “We are competing for talent with alluring hi-tech, software and mobile companies and start-ups. We’re working hard to showcase our industry as a truly global, technological, multi-faceted environment where individuals from all backgrounds and disciplines can make a significant impact.”

The Asia Pacific region also leads the demand for new commercial airplane deliveries over the next 20 years, with 12,030 new airplanes needed by 2031 according to Boeing’s 2012 Current Market Outlook.