More than half of the world’s airline pilots are no longer flying for a living because of the Covid-19 pandemic – that’s the shocking reality according to a worldwide survey.
Of the 2,600 pilots questioned in the survey:
- 30% are unemployed
- 17% are on furlough
- 6% are employed in aviation in a non-flying role
- 4% are working in another industry.
That leaves just 43% of pilots doing the job they trained for.
This picture of a devastated industry is in The Pilot Survey 2021, carried out by specialist recruitment agency Goose with publisher FlightGlobal.
There’s more: of those who identify as unemployed, two-thirds say they are actively looking for a new position as a pilot. However, only 3% are currently in an interview process and more than eight in 10 say they would happily take a pay cut for a new cockpit opportunity.
The latest survey, carried out during October 2020, polled pilots flying in every region of the world. It also covers questions such as how valued pilots feel by their employer, whether pilots would recommend their career to young people, and when pilots think the recovery in the market will come.
To download a copy of The Pilot Survey 2021 click here