Airlines Employed Fewer Pilots, Maintenance Workers in 2007

US scheduled passenger airlines have employed 4% fewer pilots and 32% fewer maintenance workers in 2007, than in 2000, the US Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported.

The seven large network carriers employed 29.9% fewer pilots and 42.6% fewer maintenance workers in 2007, than in 2000. The six low-cost carriers now operating employed 24.2% more pilots and 2.1% more maintenance workers, from 2000 to 2007.

Northwest had 12.4 pilots per aircraft in 2007, down from 14.2 per aircraft in 2000, the fewest of any network airline. United, with 14.7 per aircraft, down from 18.8 per aircraft in 2000, had the largest decline in the number of pilots per aircraft from 2000 to 2007, but still had the most pilots per aircraft of any network carrier.

Continental, which had the fewest pilots per aircraft of any network carrier in 2000, was the only one of the group to have more pilots per aircraft in 2007 than in 2000.

The passenger airlines had 8.3 maintenance workers per aircraft in 2007, down from 13 per aircraft in 2000, while the network airlines had 12.3 maintenance workers per aircraft in 2007, down from 16.6 per aircraft in 2000. Spending by network airlines for outsourced maintenance increased from 29.6% of total maintenance spending in 2000, to 45.3% in 2007.