One of the most shocking occurrences was when Ryanair announced it would cancel 18,000 flights between November 2017 and March 2018, resulting in a public relations nightmare and trouble with regulators.
However, what was most startling about the Ryanair decision was the reason behind it: the airline had lost control of planning for pilot holidays. While Ryanair might be one of the first airlines in Europe to face tangible pressures, pilot shortage is a global problem that must be addressed in order to avoid a detrimental long-term impact on the industry. A long-term solution is the only way to do so.
The aviation sector currently employs 500,000 professional pilots worldwide. However, reports indicate that it will need 600,000 more in the next 20 years as pilots retire, the industry grows by six percent per year and 35,000 new airliners enter the market.
In this edition of Inside AB, Jeremy Lawrence and Bernd Debusmann look at how the demand for international travel is growing, and what the aviation industry can do to have the pilots available to meet it.
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(Source: Arabianbusiness.com YouTube channel)
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