Gulf carriers face pilot shortage

Gulf carriers are facing a shortage of pilots, with at least 1700 new professionals needed each year to meet demand (arabianbusiness.com, 06-Jun-2011). Aviation colleges in the GCC States train less than 1000 new pilots a year, creating a significant supply gap that threatens to stall the growth of local carriers. Carriers' fleet expansion is fuelling the need for more pilots. Emirates has more than 190 aircraft on order from Boeing and Airbus worth some USD66 billion to support its route expansion.