Airlines are only looking for new pilots if:-
1. They are expanding
2. They have pilots leaving for other jobs who need replacing
3. retirement and natural wastage.
Since the average career is about 40 years, you would have to be about 3000 pilots strong do see that many retirements a year. Airlines are contracting at the moment so whilst there are as yet no mass redundancies, retirements are taking up the slack and there is little recruitment which means that moving on to greener pastures is no longer an easy option either.
I would be very surprised to see any increase in overall numbers needed until 2011/12 at the very earliest and apart form the carriers who exploit the new boys the experienced crews are going to get taken on first. The figure of 20 pilots/10 crews per aircraft is about right for a long haul operation but a low cost, charter or short haul operator would probably be closer to half that figure, depending on sector length, frequency, night stops etc.
Last edited by Seat1APlease; 24th Mar 2009 at 23:01.