Boeing's 2026 Pilot and Technician Outlook projects that the global commercial aviation industry will need 728,000 new maintenance technicians through 2045. The forecast also calls for 674,000 pilots and 1,023,000 cabin crew members, a combined 2.4 million new personnel. Two-thirds of that demand replaces workers who retire or leave the industry, and one-third supports fleet growth.

North America is expected to need 125,000 new technicians, 122,000 pilots and 191,000 cabin crew members, for a regional total of 438,000 people. Technician demand in North America ranks third among the world regions, behind Eurasia at 169,000 and China at 131,000 and ahead of Southeast Asia at 83,000.

The remaining regional technician figures are 65,000 in the Middle East, 48,000 in South Asia, 42,000 in Latin America, 28,000 in Northeast Asia, 25,000 in Africa and 12,000 in Oceania. Southeast Asia and South Asia are expected to see the fastest workforce growth.

The technician figure is 18,000 higher than the 710,000 projected in Boeing's 2025 outlook, which ran through 2044. The pilot forecast rose from 660,000 to 674,000, and the cabin crew forecast moved from 1 million to 1,023,000.

The forecast covers the commercial airline sector only. Business aviation and civil helicopters are excluded. Boeing released the outlook in July, timed to the start of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026, and pointed to competency-based training and immersive technologies as tools for preparing the workforce.

Source: AVweb - https://avweb.com/air-shows-events/airventure/boeing-2026-pilot-technician-outlook/