Over half of global airline pilots no longer flying

Dhaka: Over half of airline pilots worldwide are no longer flying for a living amid the plunge in travel demand during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey conducted by UK-based GOOSE Recruitment and industry publication FlightGlobal.

The poll of nearly 2,600 pilots released on January 28, found only 43 percent were doing the job they had trained for, with 30 percent unemployed, 17 percent furloughed and 10 percent in non-flying roles.

And many pilots that are still flying have faced deteriorating working conditions. Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways, for instance, instituted permanent pay cuts of up to 58 percent, while Turkish Airways and Singapore Airlines have temporarily lowered salaries.

“We can see the effect the pandemic has had on employed pilots too,” Mark Charman, Founder and CEO, GOOSE Recruitment said in a statement. “Large numbers are feeling insecure about their jobs, an increased number is planning to look for new roles this year and many are feeling less valued by their employers.”

For the unemployed pilots in the survey, 84 percent said it was due to the pandemic. Before COVID-19 hit, there had been widespread pilot shortages that had driven up demand for aviators and led to improving pay and conditions.

Now, 82 percent of unemployed pilots would take a pay cut for a new opportunity, the survey found.

For those that have kept their jobs, pilots in Europe reported being the most stressed by COVID-19, with respondents citing the risk of catching the virus, disjointed rules, and the possibility of being placed in quarantine during a rotation as among their concerns.

40 percent of pilots said their mental health had been affected by the pandemic, with the figure higher among younger pilots. “The amount of stress and anxiety the pandemic has caused me has permanently scarred my outlook on life,” one surveyed pilot said.