Over the last 20 years, Boeing has forecast the global demand for commercial airplanes to meet the demands of the traveling public, with that comes the demand and forecast of personnel to support that travel. Boeing recently released the 2024 Pilot and Technician Outlook (PTO) which notes a demand for nearly 2.4 million new aviation personnel over the next 20 years to support the recovery in commercial air travel and meet rising long-term growth.

The long-term forecast, which covers the next two decades, shows the need for:

• 674,000 pilots,
• 716,000 maintenance technicians
• and 980,000 cabin crew members.

"Driven by aviation traffic trending above pre-pandemic levels, personnel attrition and commercial fleet growth, the demand for aviation personnel continues to rise," said Chris Broom, vice president, Commercial Training Solutions, Boeing Global Services. “We are focused on being a reliable and innovative partner in the lifecycle of aviation training. Our offerings are rooted in competency-based training and assessment to help ensure high quality aviation training starting in flight schools and in commercial operations to enhance aviation safety through immersive and virtual training solutions.”

Through 2043, the PTO projects:

• Demand for new personnel driven primarily by single aisle, except in Africa and Middle East where wide-body leads.
• Eurasia, China and North America drive demand for more than half of new industry personnel.
• The fastest-growing regions for personnel are South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa, with their regional demand expected to more than triple over 20 years.
• Two thirds of the required new personnel over the forecast period are driven by attrition replacement, while one third is due to industry fleet growth.

Learn more about the Pilot and Technician Outlook.