Demand for pilots in Canada grows as flight cancellations rise

By Brett Lubkiwski

One of the issues that may be contributing to the huge number of flight cancellations in Canada is the lack of available pilots.

In 2021, there were 238 pilot licences issued in Canada, which is only half as many as were issued in 2020. Between 2012 and 2019, there were more than 1,000 licences issued each year on average.

Captain Tim Perry, president of the Canadian division of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), joined Gormley on Monday to discuss the shortage of pilots. Perry said the issue started during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The jobs just stopped existing. There were no airplanes for pilots to fly. But also what happened is flight schools had to close their doors. They weren’t able to train new pilots,” Perry said.

Perry said he believes the closure of flight schools had a dramatic impact on the industry, and while he believes the number of licences issued will soon be on the rise again, there will be a delay in getting more pilots into commercial planes.

“You need to have an airline transport licence, which takes around 1,500 hours to get, which can be accumulated over the course of a couple years,” Perry said.

Perry said he believes the industry could be heading into a turbulent period, where the demand for pilots will outweigh the supply that is available. But, he added, it won’t be the major airlines like Sunwing and WestJet that are going to feel the effects of it first.

“The pilot shortage will first be felt by northern and remote carriers and flight schools,” Perry said. “It really is the lower tier of operators who are going to feel the crunch first.”

The association president said new funding for flight schools and making those schools more accessible and affordable would go a long way towards getting more people into the industry, while also making the career more desirable.

The issues with flight cancellations can be attributed to more than just the lack of available pilots, however.

“Sunwing (was) looking to hire 62 temporary foreign workers, but had lost 80 or 90 pilots in the preceding year to better-paying jobs,” Perry said.

“The airlines have a responsibility to staff their airlines and deliver the service that they’ve sold and marketed.”