Pilot Shortage

The Senate Commerce Committee voted 14-13 to reject a proposal raising the airline pilot retirement age to 67.

The service is seeking up to 1,000 retirees to return to active duty for a variety of special duty fields, including pilots and air traffic control.

Amid a recent flurry of headlines around slowdowns in hiring among some airlines, United is keeping its foot on the gas.

Following a record-breaking year of hiring in 2022, some U.S. airlines are beginning to level off on pilot recruitment.

When the coronavirus pandemic hit in early 2020, drastic travel restrictions meant that demand for commercial air travel, cruises, hotels, and more disappeared virtually overnight.

Former American Airlines Chairman and CEO Doug Parker is starting a nonprofit designed to “remove the barriers that exist for underrepresented young adults to have rewarding careers in aviation, particularly as pilots.”

Pilot hiring is climbing to previously unseen levels with 2023 looking likely to surpass last year’s numbers.

The service had set a goal of adding 1,500 new pilots this year.

Does it have to be in a complex or technically advanced aircraft all the way?

The legislation struck language that would allow simulator time to count toward the 1,500-hour training requirement for aspiring pilots.