Boeing’s annual Pilot and Technician Outlook, which forecasts long-term trends in the aviation industry, was released at this year’s Oshkosh Air Show. The study, which includes factors like economic trends, airline travel, and fleet evolution to project worldwide demand over the next 20 years, is a benchmark for industry forecasting.
The Outlook shows substantial continued demand for new pilots, technicians, and flight attendants over the next 20 years. Boeing predicts a need for 602,000 new commercial pilots worldwide, 610,000 aircraft technicians, and 899,000 flight attendants through 2041.
New Technology in Aviation Maintenance Training Paves Path Forward
This year’s Pilot and Technician Outlook placed a heavy emphasis on the growing technology in aviation. The evolution of technology is expected to be a significant job driver. For example, the company states that the rapid generation of new data (est. over 100 million terabytes) will encourage maintenance solutions companies “to implement new predictive maintenance solutions, which would drive a need for [new] technicians who can accurately analyze, interpret and act on the information generated.”
As the technology in the aviation industry evolves, so do the training methods! National Aviation Academy’s Advanced Aircraft Systems and Avionics program covers all the skills students will need to adapt to the evolving technology in the aviation industry.
Technicians Play a Pivotal Role in the Industry
Aircraft technicians continue to play a pivotal role in the aviation industry. As air traffic increases and more planes are put into circulation, more technicians will be needed for inspection and maintenance. The report expects the need for technicians to increase in urgency as “retirements accelerate over the next 5-10 years.”
Boeing emphasized the importance of “collaboration, adaptation, and innovation” in navigating the recent pandemic-induced downturn in aviation activity. The previously mentioned training advances will be essential to recovery, especially as additional labor becomes needed in bringing airplanes out of storage and into an airworthy state.
Due to these factors, the Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook predicts an increasing trend in the number of technicians hired in the coming years! “The combination of fleet growth, attrition, and replacement will continue to drive high demand for the foreseeable future,” the company writes.
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