The US is on track for a "record year" for new pilots, according to the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).
From January through November 2022, 8,805 commercial airline pilot certificates (ATP-MELs) were issued in the US, according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data, which ALPA said exceeded analyst forecasts and airline demand.
Around 6,400 new pilots a year are needed to meet industry demand, according to Boeing.
The number of new pilots to date in 2022 put the US "on pace to break [records] this year", said the association, which is the biggest such union in the world, representing around 67,000 pilots.
ALPA said that FAA data showed there to be 86,774 certified flight instructors in the US, which it said was "roughly 10 percent more than at the end of 2019", further strengthening the national pilot production line.
"The aviation industry continues its recovery—and it has never been a better time to become a professional aviator,” said Joe DePete, a pilot and the ALPA president.
“Many regional carriers are raising wages and offering viable career paths; mainline airlines are hiring; and lawmakers have resisted efforts by the special interests to weaken pilot safety training standards. We can—and must—demand both safe skies and strong contracts", he said, referencing recent pickets and sometimes thorny wage negotiations between pilots and carriers, who have struggled since 2020 saw countries impose on-off pandemic-related curbs on travel.
"The FAA’s numbers make it clear that qualified pilots are in abundant supply; what we have a shortage of is airline CEOs willing to own their business decisions to cut service so they can increase their profits,” said DePete.