Shrinking Pool of Future Pilots Keeps Major Airlines on Edge
- Study shows deficit of 15,000 by 2026 as fewer choose career
- Regional carriers already reeling from aviator shortage
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After coping with terrorism, bankruptcies and consolidation, the largest U.S. airlines are facing a new problem: They may start running out of pilots in as soon as three years.
That looming pilot deficit will soar to 15,000 by 2026, according to a study by the University of North Dakota’s Aviation Department, as more captains reach the mandatory retirement age of 65 and fewer young people choose commercial aviation as a profession. And that’s in an industry where captains on the biggest international jets average more than $200,000 a year -- with some pushing $300,000.