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A Third of Pilots Worldwide Aren’t Flying as Pandemic Persists

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A pilot rides an escalator at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Michigan.

A pilot rides an escalator at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Michigan.

Photographer: Emily Elconin/Bloomberg
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More than a third of commercial pilots still aren’t flying for a living, according to a worldwide survey, highlighting the prolonged damage the coronavirus has had on the industry as the crisis enters its third year.

The Pilot Survey 2022 found that only 62% of pilots remain in their job, and 20% are unemployed. About 6% are on furlough, according to the survey of 1,743 professional pilots by U.K.-based Goose Recruitment and publisher FlightGlobal.