The aviation industry has gone through a lot over the last three years.
The Global Economic Crisis began in earnest in the fall of 2008. After years of positive development around the globe, suddenly the big party was over. Daily reports of bank closures, property foreclosures, and layoffs were circulating. The mammoth US economy was about to go through a huge correction. Panic spread the world over and trade came to an abrubt halt. Demand for goods and services slowed to a trickle.
Specifically to Aviation, suddenly all Air Carriers went deep into the red. Demand for Charters, Cargo Charters, and Scenic Flights grinded to a halt. Cargo Demand from China all but stopped and Business Aviation the world over disappeared off the radar screen. To save costs, almost every Air Carrier across the globe elected to fight the recession by keeping Skeleton Numbers of Pilots - just enough to cover their services and demand. To this day, many Airlines are flying their pilots right to the absolute Maximum Yearly Hours allowed. And this strategy is about to bite back in a large way - as demand returns quicker than anyone ever thought.
On top of the Airline Pilot issues, Corporate Pilots, by the truck load, were laid off or let go in Western Europe. Hiring at some of the massive airlines like Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Jet Airways, and Singapore Airlines stopped dead. Some unfortunate air carriers couldn't pull themselves out of their dive and went out of business forever.
There seems to be good news at the end of the tunnel. Air Carriers did not plan or predict how quickly Air Travel Demand would recover. Many have minimum numbers of flight deck crews flying maximum hours. To continue with the increased demand, they are going to have to hire and train pilots as quick as they can.
We are seeing fantastic signs from all corners of the world. China's Aviation Industry is booming and Recruitment Agencies are fighting it out to find experienced Captains to fly Expat Pilot Contracts there. While the expat pilots sign their contracts, the local Chinese Cadets are being trained and Training Academies all over the world. India's economy has reversed and is booming again. We are starting to see signs of future pilot recruitment with Jet Airways, Jetlite, Kingfisher, Deccan Cargo etc.
In addition, the large global carriers have seen demand for their services, and especially Business Class & First Class Services, come back to pre-recession levels. Emirates Airline and Qatar Airways are looking to hire hundreds of pilots over the next 2 years. Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines are just beginning to look into Major Pilot Hiring Campaigns.
In the US, Delta Airlines is hiring pilots. This airline has done a massive make-over and is beginning to fly anywhere in the world where it can find a tarmac. The fact that a US Major like Delta Airlines is hiring cannot be understated. The US Aviation Industry has gone through many lean years with thousands of mainline airline pilots on semi-permanent furloughs. Now we are seeing regionals, majors, and corporate charters taking on new pilots. On the Cargo Side of things, UPS and Fedex are reporting excellent results quarter after quarter.
In Canada, it looks as though Air Canada is getting set for a mini-expansion with more flights being scheduled to Europe and Asia. They are gearing up to hire pilots again - for the first time in three long years. WestJet Airlines continues to expand slowly and take pilots on in steady yet small numbers.
South America is doing well, especially Brazil. Their economy is booming and travel demand keeps going up and up. Many pilots from Brazil, who were forced to leave a few years ago with the demise of legacy carrier Varig, are now being invited to return in Captain positions with a number of low-cost carriers.
In Europe, despite some localized economic issues, the aviation industry is expanding again. We are seeing many corporate carriers looking to hire JAA Licenced pilots again. Holiday Airlines and Low Cost Airlines continue to post surprising numbers and are starting to look at increasing their fleets and the number of pilots. Most importantly though Business Aviation, flying high in early 2008, seems to be making a major comeback with more demand, newer fleets, and pilot hiring.
In summary, the Global Economic Crisis of 2008 and 2009 was severe. In order to survive Air Carriers were forced to shrink and cut costs in a major way. In late 2010 and all of 2011, we see Pilot Hiring Demand increasing exponentially. Large global Airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Qantas Airways, Delta Airlines, and Air Canada are all about to reverse course and compete for the same group of mid-experienced pilots.
This can only be seen as good news for pilots the world over!