Skyborne Airline Academy Vero Beach states that it is closely monitoring announcements from several U.S. based airlines to ramp up training and hiring of pilots by next summer. Projections for travel this upcoming holiday weekend indicate that 3.5 million people are planning to fly, as air travel volumes this Independence Day will reach 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels and increase 164 percent compared to last year according to AAA.
The industry is reacting appropriately with Delta releasing its intention to hire 1,000 pilots by next year and American is currently experiencing cancellations due to staffing shortages. These disruptions come at a time when airlines are working to capture new surges in passenger demand after the first year of the pandemic.
Lee Woodward, Chief Executive Officer, Skyborne Airline Academy, says: “After periods of layoffs and furloughs, airlines are now in the position to begin to fill the back-log caused by an increased demand in travel after a challenging year and a half.” He continued, “As the U.S. aviation industry continues to demonstrate its strong recovery post Covid-19, we’re working closely with airlines to help manage the growing demand for resilient, well-trained commercial pilots.”