In recent months, pilot hiring has returned to normal pre-pandemic levels. Roughly 5,000 airline pilots were hired across the board in 2024, down from 13,000 a couple years prior.
This has created a condition that seems unbearably slow for pilots that launched their careers after the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly those still training or working in entry-level pilot and flight instructor positions. Yet the slowdown is not inherently a bad sign. A return to normal was always inevitable, and the industry has ups and downs that veterans are sometimes painfully accustomed to.
