The top three pilot recruiters amongst fractional operators for this year include Avantair at 192, FlexJet 100, and NetJets at 320, according to AIR, Inc.
During last week’s FAA Forecast Conference, the FAA reported that in 2007, according to statistics compiled by the FAA’s Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, the number of student pilots decreased by 0.6 percent, the third consecutive year of decline in this pilot category. The industry has, over the past several years, maintained several industry-wide programs designed to attract new pilots to general aviation but, FAA said, more will need to be done. The number of active general aviation pilots (excluding air transport pilots) is projected to be 507,930 in 2025, an increase of almost 61,000 (up 0.7 percent yearly) over the forecast period.
The number of student pilots is forecast to increase at an average annual rate of 1.0 percent over the forecast period, growing from 84,339 in 2007 to 100,200 in 2025. In addition, FAA is projecting that 20,600 new sport pilots will be certified during the forecast period. As of December 31, 2007, the number of sport pilot certificates issued was 2,031 reflecting a growing interest in this new “entry level” pilot certificate that was only created in 2005. The number of private pilots is projected to increase an average of 0.2 percent a year over the forecast period to total 220,550 in 2025.
Year to date, airlines added 2,151 pilots, with 1,038 in February alone, compared to an increase of 393 pilots from this time last year. AIR, Inc. forecasts approximately 10,650 new airline pilot jobs for 2008. The number of pilots currently furloughed continues to drop from 6,410 in February of  '07 to 2,491 in February of this year. American Eagle, ASA and Republic will be the top recruiters this year amongst the nationals with hiring projections at 700, 500 and 600, respectively. Commercial pilots are projected to increase from 115,127 in 2007 to 126,150 in 2025, an average annual increase of 0.5 percent, making non-airline recruiting that much more challenging.
Air Inc reiterated warnings from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) that the world's airlines will suffer from a severe pilot shortage unless industry and government work together to change training and qualification practices. IATA issued a new estimate that global airlines may need 17,000 new pilots annually to cover expected industry growth and retirements. Increasing the retirement age to 65 will help but it can't be the only solution.