US on track to produce “record” number of pilots in a year

The US is on track for a “record year” for new pilots, according to the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). From January through November 2022, 8,805 commercial airline pilot certificates (ATP-MELs) were issued in the US, according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data, which ALPA said exceeded analyst forecasts and airline demand. Around 6,400 new pilots a year are needed to meet industry demand, according to Boeing. The number of new pilots to date in 2022 put the US “on pace to break [records] this year”, said the association, which is the biggest such union in the world, representing around