How airlines plan to create a new generation of pilots amid fears of decade-long cockpit crisis

Even before the coronavirus pandemic grounded US airlines in March 2020, a shortage of qualified pilots was looming. Today, even though air travel has come back much stronger and earlier than expected — and major carriers are returning to profitability — the struggle to maintain enough cockpit crews has developed into an acute problem that many travelers are experiencing in the form of canceled flights. To help fix it, carriers are aggressively competing for the available pilots. Focusing more long-term, though, airlines are boosting training programs to unprecedented levels and trying to attract a younger and more diverse next generation of aviators. Last December, United Airlines opened its Aviate Academy in Goodyear, Arizona, the first major airline-owned flight school in the U.S. Other majors, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest, Hawaiian, JetBlue and Frontier, have set up branded training programs affiliated with dozens of independent flight schools across the country. That formula has been adopted by regional airlines, too, such as Mesa Air Group, Republic, Envoy, Cape Air and SkyWest. The pilot pipeline continues to rely on the military, if lately to a lesser degree, and universities that offer aviation programs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 135,300 airline and commercial pilots employed in 2021, a number expected to grow by 6% over the next decade, translating to more than 18,000 new hires annually. As of early July, airlines had hired more than 5,500 pilots this year, already more than in any full year since at least 1990, according to Future & Active Pilot Advisors, a career consulting firm for pilots.<br/>