Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

Although U.S. pilot certificate issuances are notably up, industry analyst Jefferies estimated that the industry is undersupplied by 6 percent, or by 8,000 pilots, this year, given the early retirements during the pandemic. Jefferies further believes this will increase to a 12 percent shortage, or 18,000 pilots, by 2025 and to 15 percent, or 23,000 pilots, by 2030.

 


Citing FAA data, Jefferies noted pilot certificate issuances are up 12 percent year-to-date through October, with ATP certificates surging by 119 percent&nbsp;versus&nbsp;the first nine months of 2021.&nbsp;Compared with 2019 levels, pilot certifications are up by 8 percent, driven by a 42 percent jump in ATPs and a 10 percent increase in student pilot issuances. However, 2022&nbsp;commercial pilot issuances are lagging behind by 4 percent&nbsp;and private pilot certificates are flat.

 


For the month of October alone, pilot issuances are down across the board when compared with 2019, with commercial certificates leading the decline at 24 percent, followed by private certificates at -19 percent.

 


Jefferies forecasts that the pilot supply gap will widen as pent-up pilot certifications&nbsp;the industry is experiencing will normalize and retirements will average at 3 percent to 4 percent annually. About 16 percent of pilots today are between the ages of 60 and 64, and another 17 percent are between the ages of 55 and 59.

Pilot Shortage Expected To Continue Despite Increase in Certificate Issuances

Analyst Jefferies sees a surge in ATP certificates as the FAA works its way through pent-up demand, but pilot shortages are expected to continue to grow.

Jefferies: Pilot Certs Increase, but Shortfall Grows

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN