The United States airline industry is estimated to contribute $1.3 trillion to the national economy, 5.2% to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and around 376,000 jobs to the nation's workforce (FAA, August 2011). The industry faces many dynamic and well documented challenges, including high fuel prices, occasionally contemptuous labor disputes, and sensitivity to general economic conditions. While these issues may be well known, obtaining adequate staffing levels amongst employee groups has been the source of both historical and recent speculation. Specifically, the availability of properly trained and qualified pilots has garnered recent interest.

Will the United States airline industry have enough qualified pilots to appropriately staff its aircraft? Several recent forecast efforts have attempted to quantify both the future pilot demand as well as training capacity. When taken in their totality, every forecast indicates there will be an increased worldwide demand for commercial airline pilots. The purpose of this research initiative is to answer a simple question: will the United States experience a future pilot shortage? - AABI 2013 Report

Inside is a link to the full study.