The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) said the latest government data in the US shows "pilot production remains strong" in the country.
Numbers published by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) show "the United States continues to have more pilots in the market today than pilot jobs available", according to ALPA, the main pilot union in the US, citing the FAA's approving of 2,658 new pilots since the turn of the year.
“Over the past 10 years, the United States has not only reduced airline passenger fatalities but also produced more than enough pilots to meet airline hiring demand,” said Capt. Jason Ambrosi, ALPA president.
The US has certified 63,932 airline pilots since 2013, since when "mainline airline carriers" have recruited for "approximately 40,000 pilot positions", according to the union, which accused "some in the industry" of alleging a pilot shortage as part of a push for single-pilot aircraft, a move the ALPA would oppose on safety grounds.
"The groups that continue the flood of misinformation and misleading data are only interested in one thing: manufacturing a crisis to lower aviation safety standards and increase their bottom line," said Ambrosi, speaking ahead of his testimony to the US House Aviation Subcommittee on April 19.