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Boeing’s suite of mobile line maintenance applications give technicians immediate access to manuals, part numbers and other critical information to resolve maintenance issues plane-side and collaborate with co-workers located elsewhere. Photo courtesy of Boeing
From the Dubai Air Show, occurring now until Thursday, Boeing has projected that the Middle East will see significant demand for commercial airline pilots, technicians and cabin crew over the next 20 years. This, Boeing said, would account for 10% of the overall global need for pilots and technicians and 12% of cabin crew.
“With the anticipated demand for pilots, technicians and cabin crew in the Middle East, there is clearly a tremendous need to ensure personnel are available to fill those roles,” said David Longridge, VP of commercial services sales for Boeing Global Services. “It is an exciting time to explore how we can use cutting-edge tools and technology today to train these crews for tomorrow.”
Boeing reported an increase in the forecast compared with last year’s projection in its Pilot & Technician Outlook. Pilot demand increased by 8.6% to 63,000. Cabin crew demand increased by 4.3% to 96,000. Anticipated demand for technicians remained steady at 66,000, while the projection for the rest of the world dropped 4.6% from last year’s number.
New airplane deliveries for the Middle East, according to Boeing projections, should be split almost evenly between single-aisle and twin-aisle aircraft. Boeing also forecasts a similar split in anticipated personnel demand — each half focusing on either single- or twin-aisle aircraft. Cabin crew demand is projected to be greater on the twin-aisle airplane side, due to regulations that require more cabin crew to staff larger airplanes.
Boeing forecasts that the new airplane market in the Middle East is going to demand 3,350 new airplanes over the next 20 years. That demand would be worth some $730 billion.