Aviation Industry Will Need 617K New Pilots by 2035

Thinking about a career change? You might want to consider the aviation industry. According to Boeing's annual Pilot and Technician Outlook report, commercial airlines worldwide will need to add 814,000 cabin crew members, 679,000 maintenance technicians, and 617,000 pilots through 2035. A lot of that growth—40%—will happen in Asia thanks to the growing middle class, the Los Angeles Times notes. Still, there will be many airline jobs created in North America and Europe as current workers retire, according to USA Today, which notes that this is the first year that Boeing has included cabin crew in its report. North America will account for 21% of new crew members and 17% of new pilots and technicians, with growth being spurred by the new markets in Cuba and Mexico.

Per USA Today, Boeing's Current Market Outlook report projects the sale of 39,620 airplanes over the next two decades. Meanwhile, in a call with analysts late last month, Boeing said "it's reasonably possible" that it may stop producing its double-decker 747 due to poor sales, according to Raw Story. Already in January, according to the Telegraph, Boeing said it would reduce production of the 747 to six a year, down from 1.5 per month as of last June. (More Boeing stories.)