Market Trends of Civil Aviation Flight Training And Simulation Industry
Fixed-wing Aircraft Segment is Projected to Dominate the Market During the Forecast Period
- By aircraft type, the fixed-wing segment held the largest market share and continued its domination during the forecast period. The procurement of new aircraft for both commercial and general aviation created a pilot shortage over the years. Although the pandemic has resulted in a drop in pilot demand, the long-term demand for commercial aircraft pilots remains strong.
- As per Boeing's 2022 edition of the Pilot & Technician Outlook, the global demand for pilots is projected to be around 602,000 during the next couple of decades. The demand for pilots fostered the establishment of several flight training institutes across the world, which procure flight simulation and training equipment to provide certified training services to aviation aspirants.
- Though the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in pilot furloughing in 2020 and 2021, airlines are now focusing on long-term growth strategies and have re-started collaborating with pilot training schools to obtain airline-specific training for pilots.
- For instance, in July 2022, Aircalin (New Caledonia) secured a contract with Airbus Asia Training Centre (AATC) to provide flight crew training for its A320 and A330 pilots. Such developments are envisioned to bolster the growth prospects of the fixed-wing aircraft segment of the market in focus during the forecast period.
North America is Expected to Dominate the Market During the Forecast Period
The North American region held the largest market share mainly due to a large aviation market in the US. Air passenger traffic in the country increased at a rapid pace in the past decade, which has also generated the need for airlines to expand in terms of fleet size and new routes. American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines are the three largest domestic airlines in the US. As of January 2023, American Airlines operates the largest commercial fleet in the world with 933 aircraft from both Airbus and Boeing, with an additional 161 on order. Furthermore, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 135,300 airline and commercial pilots employed in 2021. Also, it projects that the number is expected to grow by 6% over the next decade, translating to more than 18,000 new hires annually.
Though the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in furloughing of pilots in the region in the last two years, a great demand for pilots in the region is anticipated in the latter half of the forecast period. Voluntary departures, fleet modifications, and the rapid rise in domestic travel demand created a significant demand upsurge for pilot training in the upcoming years. Hence, several airlines have taken measures to increase their pilot training capabilities. Airlines like American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines have reported that they have ramped up the pilot training to help pilots return to service as quickly as possible. Such developments are anticipated to drive the growth of the civil aviation flight training and simulation market.
