How many pilots does Southwest need to hire?

In 2022 alone, Southwest hired a total of 1,000 pilots, and it plans to take on an additional 1,700 in 2023.



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Currently, the airline has 40 aircraft grounded due to a shortage of pilots. The CEO of the world's largest low-cost carrier, Southwest Airlines (WN), expects the global pilot shortage to drag on for at least another three years.

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“We're having no trouble hiring, including having no trouble hiring pilots,” Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said during the company's fourth quarter 2022 earnings call last month. Jordan said Southwest hired almost 1,000 pilots in 2022 and plans to hire 1,700 more this year.

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An acute pilot shortage for major airlines including United, Delta, American and Southwest is forcing the industry to rethink how it trains pilots and recruits the next generation of aviation labor in the cockpit.

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The estimated total pay for a Airline Pilot at Southwest Airlines is $163,709 per year. This number represents the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The estimated base pay is $118,827 per year.

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Re: Lack of nonstop flights Demand is the biggest reason; other reasons is competition in the area.

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Consulting firm Oliver Wyman estimates that despite efforts to close the gap, airlines in North America will face a shortage of nearly 30,000 pilots by 2032. The supply of new pilots will grow, but not enough to offset a continuing wave of retirements, the consultant says.

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The demand for pilots will be at an all-time high over the next 20 years, according to some industry experts. Most of the expected pilot shortage will be experienced in China and India, with a smaller demand felt in the United States and Middle East.

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These are eight in-demand pilot jobs:
  • Drone pilot.
  • Cargo pilot.
  • Flight instructor.
  • Captain.
  • First officer.
  • Private pilot.
  • Agricultural pilot.
  • Airline pilot.


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The root cause of the coming shortage varies by region: In the United States, it's an aging workforce facing mandatory retirement, fewer pilots exiting the military, and barriers to entry, including the cost of training.

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World's best airports to land in according to pilots: The 15 airports that all pilots love flying to
  • New York, USA. ...
  • Hamilton Island, Whitsundays, Australia. ...
  • Stavanger, Norway. ...
  • Gibraltar. ...
  • Beijing, China. ...
  • Kittilä, Finland. ...
  • Ilulissat, Greenland. ...
  • San Francisco, USA.


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Overall employment of airline and commercial pilots is projected to grow 4 percent from 2022 to 2032, about as fast as the average for all occupations. About 16,800 openings for airline and commercial pilots are projected each year, on average, over the decade.

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