Demand for Aviation Professionals Is Higher Than Ever

The aviation industry in different markets across the globe is enjoying another boom that has fueled an increase in demand for aviation professionals. China, one of the largest markets in aviation, is rapidly expanding its network of flights and aviation operations. The same boom can be found in the Middle East, as well as across Europe. In the United States, we’re seeing an increase in the number of people flying, pushing airlines to provide more flights and routes altogether.

The rise of demand is further fueled by the global economy. We’re seeing a lot of positive development as we enter 2017. The fact that airlines can now penetrate emerging markets with the support of high quality aviation professionals, better (and more efficient) airplanes and operations infrastructure, is pushing the growth further forward.

A Growing but Challenging Market

The European Aviation Strategy recently released a statement that encouraged member states to penetrate emerging markets. These markets are currently filled with airlines and operators who don’t have the ability to meet the high demand for high quality aviation services. The opportunities are there to grab; unfortunately, entering a new market is not always as straightforward as it seems.

Many airlines are taking the first step and starting new routes to these countries. British Airways recently opened new routes to Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia. Other airlines, including Lufthansa and KLM, are now boosting their market shares in China, adding new schedules to an already packed product lineup.

While these new routes are attracting thousands – if not millions – of passengers every day, they are still not enough to meet the demand. The market is growing faster than airlines and operators can expand, leaving a huge gap still waiting to be filled.

Newer and More Efficient Airplanes

What’s interesting about the emerging markets in the aviation industry is the fact that they are more suitable for smaller airplanes. Airlines can’t simply increase their capacity by using bigger planes such as the Airbus A380. They need to think twice as hard in planning routes and adding more planes to their fleet in order to take more people.

China Airlines, for instance, recently acquired a fleet of Airbus A350 to strengthen its armada. The new planes will service European routes, enabling all flights to Europe – including flights to Vienna and Frankfurt – to be direct flights without interruption. AirAsia, one of the leading budget airlines in Asia, continues to use Airbus A320s.

AirAsia’s strategy is rather unique. In order to keep costs at minimum and service more routes, the company is sticking with a single type of aircraft. This means AirAsia doesn’t have to train mechanics, air and ground crews, and their support teams any differently. The strategy is being implemented across several countries, including the company’s home country in Malaysia.

Strategies like this are what European and American airlines need to implement in order to be competitive in the region. They need to set up a system where the same mechanic, aircraft rivet supplier, ground crew and on-board teams can be trained in the same way. These emerging markets are still very price sensitive, which means airlines are required to be extra creative when it comes to offering their services.

A Boom Back Home

US airlines are struggling to keep up with the worldwide demand for a good reason: the domestic airline industry is growing just as rapidly as it is worldwide. In fact, airlines are actively pushing aviation schools and other stakeholders to produce more (and better) aviation professionals. It is not uncommon for top names such as Delta to grant scholarships and aids for aviation students and schools.

The US economy has been growing at a steady rate over the past 3 to 4 years; there is no sign of this growth slowing down at all. The market will continue to demand for more aviation services as businesses in different parts of the country grow to new heights.

International routes are also very popular. This is mainly fueled by millennials and their love for travel. We now have more teenagers and young adults traveling to Europe and Asia than ever before. Social media and the need to seek experiences and adventures are attributed behind this change in behavior.

Needless to say, these changes are keeping the demand for aviation professionals at a high level. Fortunately, we’re also seeing more students taking aviation courses and joining professional programs, which means we are slowly meeting the increased demand and providing our country’s aviation industry with the best professionals for the job. It would be interesting to see how this shift continues to affect the industry in 2017.