LoginAs the aviation and transportation industry rebounds from the economic downturn, adding 31,000 jobs in May, many airlines fear there will be a shortage of pilots in the near future.
Job search website Aviation Crossing said that while there is a big demand for A and P mechanics and avionics engineers right now, it appears as if the sector will also need more pilots because of new federal guidelines.
"The aviation industry is expecting a huge shortage of pilots in the next few years," Harrison Barnes, chief executive officer of Aviation Crossing said in a press release. "New rules that increase the time it takes to train new fliers and mandatory retirement rules are working together to create a real void of available, trained pilots. This is going to be a sector to look out for in terms of employment demand."
The threat of a possible pilot shortage first came to light five years ago when then-President George W. Bush's administration pushed back the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65.
Barnes said that other factors that may lead to a pilot crisis in just a few years, including regulations that will require longer mandatory rest times in between flights, which means that the airlines will need more fliers or they will have to cut back on available flights.