According to Boeing 2011 Current Market Outlook (CMO) released in Paris Air Show June 16th, a $4 trillion market for new aircraft over the next 20 years projected with a significant increase in forecasted deliveries. The company’s annual commercial aviation market analysis foresees a market for 33,500 new passenger airplanes and freighters between 2011 and 2030.
“Some 3 to 10 cabin crews needed to fully serve one aircraft, and it makes a significant number of flight attendants needed. According to the forecast numbers given untill 2030, not only do the airlines need to employ the number of flight attendants required to satisfy the booming demand in aircrafts inducted, but they also need to find a shift for staff retirements and natural resignation“, said Dainuole Bartasuniene, Ground Instructor at Baltic Aviation Academy aviation training centre.
Airlines in emerging markets have already faced a critical shortage of skilled people to run on-flight operations. Indian airlines, both domestic and international, report picking up on average 25 to 30 cabin crew candidates every month.
Direct demand for jobs forecasted to come to serve new aircrafts required. Aircraft such as the A380 require up to 24 flight attendants per flight and the Boeing 747 requires 18 or 19 crew depending on series type and configuration.
“The glamorous image and opportunity to travel historically attracts more applicants than there are jobs out there in the industry. There always is a possibility to be accepted into some airlines flight attendant training programs directly after graduating from the high school. However a growing demand for high quality corporate and private aircrafts flight attendants place age, maturity and experience as the most competitive factors while deciding on qualifications of a cabin crew“, added D. Bartasuniene.
The demand for cabin crew fluctuates with the demand for air travel sector, highly sensitive to the business cycles in the economy. The hiring of flight attendants declines during downturns, as the whole air traffic declines, and some experienced attendants may be laid-off until the air transport traffic recovers.
“At its most fundamental level, cabin crew is responsible for passenger safety in the cabin. While for ones it comes as a glamorous job with a lot of travelling, for the others it may turn to an exhausting and disorientating lifestyle placing tough demands on family commitments. A good personal weighting needed for potential industry newcommers as for the next two decades the sector opens for numerous new recruitments.“, D. Bartasuniene, Ground Instructor at Baltic Aviation Academy.
Passenger air traffic rose 8 percent in 2010, after declining about 2 percent in 2009, regarding Boeing 2011 Current Market Outlook (CMO). The persistent resilience of air travel is expected to sustain 6 percent growth in 2011 and keep the growth rate at or above the historical trend through the middle of the decade.