Pandemic leaves a third of the world’s pilots ‘grounded’

More than a third of commercial pilots still don’t fly for a living, according to a global survey, which highlights the widespread damage that the COVID-19 in the industry, as the crisis enters its third year.

Only 62% of pilots keep their jobs and 20% are unemployed, according to the 2022 survey from the FlightGlobal site. About 6% are on leave, according to the survey of 1,743 professional pilots by Goose Recruitment and UK-based FlightGlobal.

While the results show an improvement compared to last year, when most pilots were not flying, the survey was conducted before the omicron variant would cause a wave of interruptions. The latest survey also found growing dissatisfaction within the profession, which could undermine any long-term industry recovery.

55% of the pilots surveyed said they would not recommend the career to young people, almost twice as many as before the pandemic, while 56% said they were considering changing jobs in the next 12 months.

On vaccinations, 68% said double doses should be mandatory for pilots. The figure is lower for North America, at 57%, where 20% of pilots are still not fully vaccinated despite several airlines making it a prerequisite for employment, according to pollsters.

On a more positive note, 60% of those surveyed believe the industry will return to pre-crisis levels within two years. Yet nearly a quarter of unemployed pilots “feel nothing” confident about getting back in the cockpit and flying again.