Airline Worker Shortage Affecting WMU College of Aviation

Airlines are currently hiring pilots as the industry struggles to meet the jump in travel demand. Western Michigan University’s College of Aviation is one of those affected by the recent staffing shortage in the airline industry.

The WMU College of Aviation “turned into the third or fourth busiest airport in Michigan” because of their operations according to Tom Thinnes, the college’s manager of recruitment, outreach, and marketing.

The goal of the college is to help pilots become part of the industry. Once WMU College of Aviation students graduate, they can become a flight instructor. And once they become a flight instructor, they are now eligible to work for regional airlines.

In recent months, major airlines turned to regional airlines for talent. And consequently, it has affected WMU College of Aviation. Thinnes said that “Then requires regionals to hire, which then start pulling from our ranks, which then causes backlogs in flight training”.

WMU College of Aviation Lost 39 Flight Instructors in 6 Months

In the last six months, WMU lost 39 flight instructors. Even if WMU College of Aviation replaced 37 flight instructors, new students feel the impact.

Thinnes said that “COVID-19 hit, which caused an increase in that backlog”. He added that it has put WMU College of Aviation “back about two years”. He also said that they are honest with incoming students right off the bat regarding their situation. Thinnes said that “All of our incoming students in fall 2021, we told them from the get go that we’re about two years behind in flight training”.

Salary for pilots is also one of the reasons why flight instructors are leaving. Thinnes said that the average entry-level salary significantly jumped in the last four or five years. On top of that, the demand for pilots spiked as older pilots reached retirement age.

Airlines during the start of the pandemic had to ask staff including pilots to take retirement packages and take leaves. Then travel demand returned as vaccines became available. Unfortunately, it takes some time to retrain pilots.

According to Boeing, the world will need approximately 600,000 new pilots in the next twenty years. In North America, experts predict that the shortage of pilots will reach over 12,000 pilots by 2023.