Delta Air Lines launches program to train next generation pilots

Delta Air Lines is launching a program that will train the next generation of pilots.

The Delta Propel Flight AcademyDelta Propel Flight Academy, which is in partnership with Skyborne Airline Academy, is expected to welcome its first class of aviators in June.

The program, which is already accepting applications, is poised to bolster the pool of trained pilots.

Airlines have complained about a shortage for several years but they also made it worse during the epidemic by encouraging pilots to take early retirement when air travel collapsed in 2020.

The government estimates that there will be 18,100 openings for airline and commercial pilots every year over the course of the decade.

Many of the openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or leave the labor force, as well as retire, according to the Labor Department.

Airlines have been in a hiring frenzy for several years, as the carriers replace pilots who reach the federal retirement age of 65.

The Air Line Pilots Association, International ALPA, the world's largest airline pilot union, has released updated data from the Federal Aviation Administration FAA that says the commercial airline pilot pipeline remains strong and robust. From January through November 2022, there were 8,805 commercial airline pilot certificates issued by the ALPA, which exceeded analyst forecasts and airline demand for new aviators, and put the U.S. on pace to break pilot production records this year. As an incentive, students will be eligible to receive up to $20,000 in financial support from Delta. The carrier promised to pay the cost of interest on student loans from select lenders.

Students will receive private, instrument, commercial and certified flight instructor training at a facility in Vero Beach, Florida.

Once the first certificate or rating has been completed at the Propel Flight Academy, the student pilots will be eligible to apply for the Propel Pilot Career Path Program, according to Delta.

Once their training is complete, they will be offered a job with Skyborne as a certified flight instructor. Once they log 1,500 hours, they will begin at one of Delta's Connection Carriers as a first officer, Delta said.