Pilot Hiring Nosedives in 2024

Major U.S. airlines hired far fewer pilots last year.

Ryan Ewing

Thursday, January 16, 2025 at 02:19 PM ET

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Edited By: tccjeremy

An American Boeing 737-800 [Credit: AirlineGeeks/ William Derrickson]

Key Takeaways:

U.S. pilot hiring dropped sharply by 60% in 2024, with only 4,834 new aviators hired, primarily due to ongoing aircraft delivery delays affecting major carriers.
This significant reduction in recruitment led several airlines, including American, Southwest, Spirit, and FedEx, to halt pilot hiring during the year, while United and Delta continued to lead in onboarding new pilots.
The 2024 hiring figures reverted to levels seen in 2019, and while 2025 is projected to see a moderate increase of around 50% from 2024, the industry anticipates "normalized" hiring trends compared to the recent post-pandemic boom.

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U.S. pilot hiring tanked in 2024 as airlines continue to face aircraft delivery delays. The reduction comes after several years of record hiring trends as carriers recovered from the pandemic.

In 2024, the major U.S. carriers hired 4,834 new pilots, according to data from the Future and Active Pilots Alliance. This figure is a far cry from the over 12,000 pilots hired in 2023, representing a 60 percent year-over-year drop.