Instructor Crisis: Shortage Resulting in Soaring Remuneration.

Air Transport is facing an unprecedented crisis. The expansion of the industry calls for growing numbers of instructors for all roles – pilots, engineers, cabin crew, ground staff, ATC etc. This requirement is not being satisfied and the skills shortage is becoming more severe with each passing day.

The continuously discussed massive demand for pilots during the years to come can ultimately only be satisfied by training and hence the role of instructor is more vital than it has ever been. At the present time there are not enough instructors around the world and as this raises the profile, and indeed the remuneration for the TRI, it provides plenty of motivation for senior captains to qualify as instructors. Undertaking this career can only be a success.

Instructors have never been so much in demand as in the past few years. Aircraft purchases by the airlines means that so many more pilots are required. All need ab-initio, type, base, line training and recurrent during their careers, with many going through command upgrade processes, and re-training on new types or variants. None of this can be conducted without more instructors at all levels. As each narrow-body jet entering service needs an average of five crews and wide-body average eight, it only needs a glimpse at the number of new aircraft on order around the world to consider the scale of the problem.

We are now seeing many first officers being promoted to captain much earlier in their careers, as airlines look to bridge the experience gap between captain and F.O. Good for the pilots, although this may raise some safety concerns. Many will replace the retired captains now in-role.

In every continent, as the fleet of aircraft in service in the regions will increase significantly, the airlines with their instructors will have to produce an average of 70 new pilots a day worldwide to match the record delivery rate of the aircraft and the pilot demand. The upward movement of pilots’ salaries and contract fees are unsustainable. So training is therefore the only way forward.

Here we concentrate on the SFI/LTC/TRI/TRE for airlines and ATOs, but the requirement is at all levels.

The industry needs type rating, simulator, ground and line training instructors. But what about the rest of the industry? As commercial aviation is growing, certainly all the different branches that are part of it will need training too. So we are not just talking about pilot instructors but also engineering instructors, cabin crew instructors and dispatchers.

The current shortage of instructors of all sorts has helped to increase the pay and benefits for all, making these roles some of the most lucrative. And Brookfield Aviation as part of this competitive world, is looking for instructors with the right mix of training and communication skills to ensure they provide the most effective training with our clients around the world.

There has never been a better time to be an instructor as now! Contact us if you are looking for an new opportunity.