Jul 2 / AIRLINE SELECTION PROGRAMME

The Hiring Spree Is Coming. Did You Prepare, or Did You Wait?

When the geopolitical situation began to destabilise earlier this year, I watched what happened to airline hiring plans. Routes were suspended. Cadet programmes were quietly shelved. Aircraft that had been delivered sat under-crewed on the ground.

That pause is ending, and an intense hiring spree is likely to follow.

So here is the only question that matters right now: did you prepare when you had time, or did you wait for an opportunity that never came?

If you prepared, you are in the perfect spot to make the most of this market. If you waited, you need to act now. The airlines that put their plans on hold will reopen them fast. The ones that normally hire deliberately will hire in a hurry. And the ones that have taken delivery of aircraft and are now severely under-crewed will hire in an even bigger hurry.

If you just graduated or are approaching the two-year graduation mark, this is your window of opportunity. It will not be a two or three year boom like the one after Covid. It will be sharp and short: three to six months.


The Shortage That Isn't


Every time the market tightens, the same phrase appears in headlines: pilot shortage. Journalists use it. It sounds alarming. But the number of unemployed pilots with valid licences says the opposite.

When airlines hire in a hurry, the bar gets lowered, but only to a point. This is where you see some applicants still struggle, whilst airlines complain they cannot find enough pilots. The two things coexist, and they will again.

There is no shortage of applicants. There is a shortage of convincing ones.

Preparation Is the Only Variable You Control

Getting through a time like this is very much about mindset.
If you prepared, you are already where you need to be. Well done for holding the right mindset all along.

If you waited, this is your last chance to get ahead and not have to scramble when you get invited at short notice. Hiring will resume. A large retirement wave is coming too. The end of this year will be prosperous for most pilots who are ready.

Prepare Now


At Airline Selection Programme, Advanced Interview Course was built from the recruiter's perspective. Every live coaching session, every module, every piece of feedback is grounded in what airlines are genuinely evaluating, because the people delivering it have been the ones doing the evaluating.

Find out more about our Advanced Interview Course