(LibertySociety.com) – For decades, the airline industry has hired former military pilots to fly its planes. During the Cold War era, the US government reportedly trained countless people how to fly, and those skills were then put to use in the private sector once the pilots left the military. However, it seems America isn’t training the number of pilots they did before, and now, that could lead to a shortage of trained professionals in the airline industry.
On Sunday, June 20, “Axios on HBO” aired an interview with United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby. The executive said the US faces a possible pilot shortage because the “military produces far fewer pilots” than they once did. As a result, the airline launched the Aviate Academy to hopefully train the next generation. They’ve committed to ensuring that 50% of the pilots they train will be women or people of color.
Recently, American Airlines felt the squeeze, too. The airline was forced to cancel 119 flights and delay almost 450 more on June 19 because it was experiencing a pilot shortage. Over the next few weeks, the airline plans to cancel hundreds of more flights.
The shortage comes just as the US begins to travel again and it could possibly set back the economic recovery of the industry.
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