big_g - was that the ctc cadet sponsorship scheme?
I have been thinking about this. The stats do indicate that more pilots will be required in the future, however when you consider that 1500 people get a frozen ATPL a year that puts it into context. Seeing as it says here there are only 10 500 commercial pilots in the UK, 1500 new frozen ATPL holders every year is a massive amount.
However if air travel is expected to double and 17% of pilots are set to retire this does indicate a sizeable increase in jobs on the market soon. depending on the macro economic and political conditions of course. There will however be no shortage, there never will be. 1500 ATPL graduates a year is more than enough to cope. But I do agree with the independant article that in the context of commercial aviation the future does look fairly bright.