South Asia – Boeing has projected a surge in demand for aviation professionals across South Asia, forecasting 141,000 new jobs by 2044 to support rapid regional growth in airline fleets and air traffic. The figures, released as part of Boeing’s 2025 Pilot and Technician Outlook and Services Market Outlook, underscore the urgent need for pilot training capacity, technical education, and aviation support infrastructure across India and neighbouring countries.

• South Asia will require 45,000 new pilots, 45,000 maintenance technicians, and 51,000 cabin crew over the next two decades, reflecting balanced demand across flight operations, MRO, and airline services.

• The region’s aviation services market is expected to be worth $195 billion by 2044, driven by training, maintenance, digital services, and parts provisioning.

• Boeing’s forecast also predicts demand for 3,300 new aircraft in South Asia by 2044, reinforcing the scale of workforce and training expansion required to sustain airline operations.

• Training organizations in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and surrounding countries will need to significantly scale up capacity, particularly in areas such as ab initio pilot training, maintenance licensing, simulator operations, and airline-aligned type rating programs.

• The region’s 7% average annual passenger traffic growth rate will further drive the need for structured training pipelines, aviation academies, and public-private cooperation in aviation workforce development.

Source: Boeing
Photo Credit: Boeing