Asia's travel boom is in trouble as a pilot shortage worsens

An unprecedented travel boom in Asia has spawned new budget carriers and millions of first-time fliers, but a shortage of pilots is threatening to choke that demand. In Southeast Asia alone, LCCs have about 1,400 aircraft on order, compared with fewer than 400 for full-service carriers, according to CAPA. With the supply of pilots lagging behind, the airlines will struggle to find skilled cockpit crew. “There’s a real crunch coming,” Peter Harbison, executive chairman of CAPA . “For new airlines, it’s much, much harder and it’s going to be a real struggle.” Boeing forecasts the region needs 16,930 new planes and about 261,000 pilots through 2037. That means the current fleets and the number of pilots will need to double during that period, according to the planemaker. <br/>