United Airlines is poised to surpass its remarkable 2022 record of hiring 2,500 pilots within a single year. Recent reports from AirlineGeeks reveal that the airline hired an additional 270 pilots in October, bringing the total number of new pilots for 2023 to an impressive 2,296. This surge in pilot recruitment aligns with United's ambitious expansion plan, which includes adding 230 aircraft within the next year and a total of 700 new aircraft by 2033.
United's pursuit of additional pilots is notable, especially considering the contrasting trend in many of its competitor airlines. AirlineGeeks notes that several other carriers have scaled back their pilot hiring initiatives, with Spirit Airlines discontinuing the process altogether.
While the overall industry pilot shortage appears to be gradually improving, the demand for pilots persists across all airlines, prompting intense efforts to fill cockpit positions. Notably, while regional airlines can directly hire captains, larger carriers like United can only recruit first officers (FOs) and subsequently promote them to captain status. AirlineGeeks reports that Delta Airlines, for instance, is expediting the transition from FO to captain in as little as four and a half months.