More than half of the world’s airline pilots are no longer flying for a living amid the plunge in demand through the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey, and these that are nonetheless flying really feel much less valued by their employers.
A poll of practically 2,600 pilots by UK-based GOOSE Recruitment and business publication FlightGlobal, released on Thursday, identified only 43% had been performing the job they had educated for, with 30% unemployed, 17% furloughed and 10% in non-flying roles.
Many pilots that are nonetheless flying have faced deteriorating working situations. Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd, for instance, instituted permanent spend cuts of up to 58%, and Turkish Airways and Singapore Airlines Ltd have temporarily lowering salaries.
“We can see the effect the pandemic has had on employed pilots too,” GOOSE Recruitment chief executive officer and founder Mark Charman stated in a statement. “Large numbers are feeling insecure about their jobs, an increased number are planning to look for new roles this year as well as many feeling less valued by their employers.”
For the unemployed pilots in the survey, 84% stated it was due to the pandemic. Before COVID-19 hit, there had been widespread pilot shortages that had driven up demand for aviators and led to enhancing spend and situations.
Now, 82% of unemployed pilots would take a spend reduce for a new chance, the survey identified.
For these that have kept their jobs, pilots in Europe reported being the most stressed by COVID-19, with respondents citing the threat of catching the virus, disjointed guidelines and the possibility of getting placed in quarantine through a rotation as amongst their issues.
Forty % of pilots stated their mental well being had been impacted by the pandemic, with the figure larger amongst younger pilots.
“The amount of stress and anxiety the pandemic has caused me has permanently scarred my outlook on life,” one surveyed pilot stated.
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