The Middle East will require 28,000 new commercial pilots over the next 10 years, CAE Inc., a Canadian manufacturer of simulation technologies, said in a new report.

The region will require 22,000 commercial aircraft maintenance technicians and 78,000 cabin crew over the same period.

The highest number of pilots will be needed in the Asia Pacific region at 91,000, followed by North America (63,000) and Europe (44,000).

The demand for commercial aircraft maintenance technicians and cabin crew will reach 106,000 and 224,000 in Asia Pacific.

Globally, the need for new commercial pilots will hit 252,000 over the next decade. Demand for new commercial aircraft maintenance technicians will reach 328,000, while cabin crew will stand at 599,000.

CAE said air travel had recovered steadily despite the current conflict in Ukraine and inflation issues.

Mature aviation markets such as North America and Europe are leading the recovery. These markets historically have seen high GDP per capita, which are correlated with the penetration of air travel.

Low-cost carriers with fewer fleet types and a focus on domestic leisure travel were the first to recover. Nevertheless, mainline airlines will benefit from international traffic once it restores to pre-pandemic levels.                                                                 

Meanwhile, business aviation has witnessed sustained growth and success during the pandemic. More people turned to business aviation to avoid large crowds in airports and aboard commercial flights, which has increased usage and stimulated growth.

This segment in the Middle East will need 450 pilots and 1,000 business aircraft maintenance technicians over the next 10 years, the report indicated.

(Editing by Seban Scaria seban.scaria@lseg.com)