Pilot Shortage ‘Isn’t Real,’ ALPA Says

The union claims that there's a surplus of airline pilots.

Ryan Ewing

Friday, April 19, 2024 at 11:36 AM ET

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A Horizon Air Embraer E175 at Seattle’s Paine Field. [Courtesy: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera]

Key Takeaways:

The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) asserts there is a surplus of commercial pilots, not a shortage, and actively opposes congressional efforts to raise the mandatory pilot retirement age to 67.
Conversely, regional airlines report ongoing severe pilot shortages, particularly for captains, leading them to offer significant financial incentives like large sign-on bonuses.
While major airlines have slowed or halted pilot hiring in 2024, partly due to aircraft delivery delays, the debate continues with some consultancy firms still projecting a future pilot supply gap.

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Following several years of record pilot hiring at U.S. airlines, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) is saying that there is a surplus of commercial aviators and that the pilot shortage “isn’t real.”

In a recent social media post on X (formerly known as Twitter), the world’s largest pilots union—which represents more than 77,000 pilots at mainline and regional carriers—pushed back against ongoing legislative efforts to raise the retirement age from 65 to 67.