Pilots’, ATC shortage: High Demand, Low Supply

The global shortage of pilots and Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) is a systemic problem caused by a combination of generational shifts, financial barriers, and critical disruptions to the training pipeline, writes WOLE SHADARE

The Nigerian aviation industry faces a complex and paradoxical challenge: a severe shortage of experienced, type-rated personnel alongside a pool of unemployed, low-hour graduates.

This is a critical issue that poses a threat to safety, limits operational capacity, and hinders the growth of local airlines.

The most pronounced shortages are in these highly specialised, licensed roles, such as Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs).  This is one of the most critical gaps.

The industry is reportedly short-staffed in this area, forcing the recall of retirees and extending tenure for older staff to cover the workload. This strains the system and raises safety concerns.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) has warned that the country may lose over 70 experienced controllers in the next few years due to retirements. This has led to the government having to recall and retain retired personnel on contract to man control towers and manage the airspace.

Danger

The danger is that controllers are overworked, experiencing increased stress and operational capacity constraints, particularly at major airports.

Another area that is experiencing a shortage is experienced Pilots (especially Captains and Type-Rated First Officers): While many young pilots hold basic Commercial Pilot Licenses, there is a shortage of pilots with the high flying hours and specific aircraft type ratings like Boeing 737, Airbus A320) required by commercial airlines for insurance and operational needs.

Highly skilled engineers are scarce, particularly those with ratings on modern aircraft or specialised skills like Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO). This shortage has resulted in a capacity deficit at local MROs.

The overarching goal is to bridge the existing skills gap, reduce reliance on expatriates, and ensure operational safety in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.

Nigeria’s example

Nigeria’s aviation industry faces a manpower shortage due to retirements, emigration, and limited training capacity, prompting the recall of retired professionals and a search for new solutions.

To address this, the government is recalling retirees, improving working conditions and salaries, expanding training facilities, and modernising infrastructure. There is also a strong push to improve training institutions and establish new ones to better supply the industry with qualified personnel, particularly in critical areas such as air traffic control.

The situation is further exacerbated by pilots and engineers struggling to find employment due to a shortage of aircraft.

Pilots and engineers, once highly sought after and considered dream careers in aviation, are now left jobless because there are not many airlines hiring.

With limited opportunities at home, many pilots and engineers are now seeking opportunities abroad, worsening the nation’s brain drain.

Experts’ views

“The aviation industry is currently witnessing a drop in aircraft availability due to heavy maintenance. This is placing many pilots and maintenance engineers out of employment as operators will not keep employees that cost them a lot of overhead,” said Sheri Ayuba Kyari, head of Administration and Human Resources at 7Star Global Hangar Ltd, a company with a focus on aircraft maintenance in Nigeria and other parts of Western Africa.

Kyari pleaded with the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, to find a solution to the challenge and ensure that the professionals are absorbed into the sector.

Abednego Galadima, President of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) said, “We are a country of over 200 million people and you can argue that the flying population is about 15 million, but even with that, most of our international travels are handled by foreign airlines who will normally bring in their own pilots, thereby worsening the unemployment rate.”

Other experts in the aviation industry have expressed grave concerns about the significant manpower shortage across the sector and have called for urgent action to address it.

A former Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nnamdi Udoh, who spoke to Aviation Metric on the sidelines of the 9th Xplore Aviation Career Conference in Lagos, said that the authorities must fill that deficit either through vigorous annual recruitment.

Udoh, who was concerned about the critical shortage of air traffic controllers, which is not limited to Nigeria alone, stated that the government should retain the services of some retiring air traffic controllers not as workers but as trainee consultants to keep the system working and to mitigate the inherent danger of not being able to fill the gap.

He said, “The truth remains that manpower development is a continuous thing. In all of this, if one of them misses the link, it will start to appear. If you recall, at some point during NAMA, we were training air traffic controllers to be pilots and area radar controllers, and we went to South Africa. After that, somebody must sustain it. When people come and there are other agendas, but whatever the different agendas are, it interrupts human capacity and development; there will be a gap.”

The Chief Executive Officer of MamaJ Aviation Consult Limited, Joy Ogbebo, who is also the event’s convener, stated that the sector’s manpower shortage should concern every stakeholder.

She referred to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) ‘s “Next Generation of Aviation Professionals” (NGAP), an initiative aimed at addressing the aviation industry’s future workforce needs.

The initiative’s goal is to attract, educate, and retain a sufficient number of qualified professionals, as a large portion of the current workforce is set to retire.

Key challenges include a shortage of talent, competition from other industries, and limited awareness of aviation career opportunities.

The initiative was launched in 2009 and later elevated to an official ICAO Programme to ensure there is a sufficient supply of skilled personnel to operate, manage, and maintain the future international air transport system.

Ogbebo said, “That is what this platform is doing. You can attest to the fact that I tend to bring in professionals to share their expertise.  If we do not take action now, we will face a shortage in the near future, regardless of our preferences.  This platform is helping to bridge the industry’s gap”.

Global problem

This problem is not limited to Nigeria alone. The global aviation industry is facing a severe, long-term shortage of core operational professionals, primarily pilots and air traffic controllers (ATCs). This shortage threatens the industry’s ability to meet growing demand and raises concerns about safety and efficiency.

The shortage of pilots is a worldwide phenomenon, driven by a “perfect storm” of demographic trends, high entry barriers, and the rapid growth of air travel, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.

Boeing projects a global need for over 600,000 new pilots within the next two decades (through 2043), while other forecasts, such as those from IATA, project similar high figures.

The shortage of ATCs is an immediate and critical concern for aviation safety and efficiency, particularly in Western nations. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is chronically understaffed, with an estimated shortage of approximately 3,000 controllers, resulting in the recall of retirees and extended working hours for existing staff.

Europe has also reported a significant deficit, with a shortage of 700-1,000 ATCs in 2023.

The International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Associations (IFATCA) reports significant staffing concerns in almost every part of the world, including Africa and the Middle East.

Last line

The shortage acts as a ceiling on the industry’s ability to expand capacity and meet the booming global demand for air travel.

Wole Shadare