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 by 60% in 2024, with only 4,834 new pilots hired compared to over 12,000 in 2023, primarily due to ongoing aircraft delivery delays.
Major airlines like American, Southwest, Alaska, Spirit, and FedEx halted or significantly reduced pilot recruitment, while United and Delta led in hiring.
The sharp decline in 2024 brings pilot hiring numbers in line with pre-pandemic levels from 2019.
A more "normalized" and moderately increased hiring trend is projected for 2025, with estimates suggesting a potential 50% rise from 2024's figures.

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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.