The global aviation sector will continue to grapple with a shortage in pilots between 2022 and 2024 as air travel demand booms.

A study by global consultancy Oliver Wyman states that regional shortage could start as early as the end of this year. With the Middle East one of the first regions to experience the impact. Unless speedy action is taken to mitigate the impact, this could reach a shortage of 3,000 pilots by 2023 and 18,000 by 2032, said the consultancy.

Andre Martins, partner and head of India, Middle East and Africa for transportation and services at Oliver Wyman, said: “We expect the Middle East to be the region affected soonest by the shortage outside of North America, driven by a projected sharp increase in air travel demand over the next few years, new players entering the market and big tourism developments happening in the region,”.

“If demand for air travel continues to grow, airlines need to accelerate recruiting efforts from other regions where we anticipate less acute shortages, particularly Latin America and Asia Pacific, to fill gaps,” he said.

The global aviation industry is expected to be short of nearly 80,000 pilots by 2032, in the absence of a downturn in future demand and despite efforts by the sector to bolster the supply of pilots, the study said.