MENA Newswire, DUBAI: Global aviation will need about 300,000 new pilots by 2034, according to a workforce outlook from training and simulation company CAE, as airlines and business aircraft operators add capacity and replace retiring crew. CAE’s Aviation Talent Forecast 2025–2034, released in June 2025, projects the pilot requirement as part of a broader demand for roughly 1.5 million new civil aviation professionals over the decade.
The forecast also estimates the industry will need about 416,000 aircraft maintenance technicians, 678,000 cabin crew, and 71,000 air traffic controllers by 2034. The report breaks pilot hiring needs into two main segments. In commercial aviation, CAE projects demand for about 267,000 new pilots through 2034. In business aviation, it estimates a further 33,000 new pilots will be required over the same period.
CAE said the forecast reflects a combination of fleet growth, increasing air travel demand, and replacement needs as existing personnel leave the workforce. The company’s outlook is designed to quantify staffing requirements tied to expected activity levels across the global civil aviation sector.
Workforce needs extend beyond the cockpit
CAE estimates that commercial aviation will require about 1,292,000 new professionals by 2034 across pilots, technicians and cabin crew. For business aviation, the report projects demand for about 102,000 new professionals over the decade, including 33,000 pilots and 69,000 aircraft maintenance technicians.
The forecast points to Asia-Pacific as the region expected to account for the largest share of new hiring needs in commercial aviation, reflecting the concentration of growth in air traffic and fleet expansion in that market. Other regions also face sustained hiring requirements, including to backfill roles as experienced personnel reach retirement.
CAE’s outlook includes, for the first time, a specific estimate for air traffic control staffing, projecting about 71,000 new controllers will be needed globally by 2034. The addition broadens the forecast’s scope from airline and operator staffing to include a key element of aviation system capacity.
Training demand rises with hiring requirements
The projected hiring levels underscore the scale of training throughput required across the sector, with pilot qualification, maintenance licensing and cabin crew onboarding tied to regulatory standards and operator-specific programs. CAE said the staffing outlook is intended to support workforce planning across airlines, operators, training organizations and aviation authorities.
The forecast frames the next decade as a period of sustained recruitment across multiple job categories that support passenger and business flying. By combining cockpit, cabin, maintenance and air traffic control roles, the report presents a consolidated estimate of the staffing needed to support expected aviation activity through 2034.