News · 19 October 2026
Aviation jobs 2045 forecast: 2.44 million people needed
Airbus says aviation will need more than 2.44 million additional pilots, technicians and cabin crew by 2045. It doesn't count a single manager. Here's what the forecast does and doesn't tell you if you want to run airlines or airports.
Airbus published a new aviation jobs forecast to 2045 on 14 October 2026. It says the industry will need more than 2.44 million additional skilled people over the next 20 years: 730,000 maintenance technicians, 660,000 pilots and 1,050,000 cabin crew.[1] It counts those three jobs and no others. So if you're aiming for the management side of airlines and airports, you'll learn a lot here about the industry, and nothing about the size of your own job market.
What does the Airbus forecast say?
The people figure is one part of the Airbus Global Services Forecast 2026-2045, a report on six services markets, from maintenance and modifications to digital services and training.[1][5] Airbus expects demand for those services to double, from US$209 billion in 2026 to more than US$420 billion by 2045, which works out at 3.8% a year.[1][2] Over the same 20 years it has passenger numbers doubling to 10 billion and the world fleet growing to 45,550 aircraft.[1]
The 2.44 million is cumulative. It includes the extra staff a bigger fleet will need and the people who'll replace today's workforce.[3] It only covers passenger jets with more than 100 seats and freighters carrying more than 10 tonnes.[1] And remember who's talking: Airbus sells many of these services, so read the forecast as an outlook, not a head count.
Where will the people be needed?
Europe & CIS needs the most people in all three jobs, with China and the rest of Asia-Pacific next:[4]
| Region | Pilots | Technicians | Cabin crew |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe & CIS | 136,000 | 180,000 | 209,000 |
| China | 123,000 | 126,000 | 193,000 |
| Asia-Pacific (without China and South Asia) | 112,000 | 120,000 | 203,000 |
| North America | 109,000 | 112,000 | 135,000 |
| Middle East & Africa | 92,000 | 90,000 | 172,000 |
| South Asia | 50,000 | 52,000 | 79,000 |
| Latin America & the Caribbean | 38,000 | 50,000 | 59,000 |
| World | 660,000 | 730,000 | 1,050,000 |
Asia, though, is where the growth is fastest. Today North America, Europe and the CIS make up nearly half of global demand for these services; in 20 years Airbus expects their share to drop to around 40%, with Asia generating more than 40%.[5] South Asia grows quickest of all: its services market goes from US$6 billion in 2026 to US$28 billion in 2045, or 8.4% a year.[4] If you're from India or a neighbouring country, that's your home market.
Which aviation jobs does the forecast leave out?
Pilots, technicians and cabin crew work on and around the aircraft. For everyone else the report has no figure at all: not airport staff, not operations planners, not managers.
It does say what the industry has to do to find those 2.44 million people. Training is one of the six markets, heading for US$17 billion by 2045 at 3.1% a year, and Airbus adds that "the industry must intensify efforts to attract and train new talent".[1] Digital services and connectivity grow fastest of all: Airbus expects that market to triple over the next two decades, to US$27 billion in 2045.[2]
What does it mean if you want to work in airline management?
Start with the honest part. A master's won't make you a pilot or a licensed technician. And this forecast can't tell you how many management jobs there'll be: Airbus gives no figure for them.
What it does show is the shape of the work. Someone has to recruit 2.44 million people, train them, roster them and keep them, all while passenger numbers double. That's operations planning, people management and strategy, on a bigger scale than today, with much of the growth in Asia.
You'll find those subjects on the timetable of the MSc in Business and Airline Management. In the first semester you take Airline Operations Management, Contemporary Airport Management and Innovation in Aviation, alongside International Human Resource Management, Leadership in Business, Strategic Business Management, Marketing and Branding in a Digital Society, and Research Methods.[6] You also earn the IATA Airport Operations Fundamentals certification on top of the degree.[6]
What's happening at Zurich Airport?
The programme runs in Zurich, so the obvious case study is the city's airport. Its September 2026 figures came out on 12 October 2026:[7]
| Zurich Airport, September 2026 | Figure | Change on September 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Passengers | 3,126,906 | +2.6% |
| Transfer passengers | 894,182 (28.6% of the total) | |
| Aircraft movements | 25,661 | +5.2% |
| Passengers per movement | 138.5 | -2.8% |
| Seat load factor | 81.9% | -1.2 points |
Movements grew twice as fast as passengers, so there were fewer people per movement and seats were a little emptier.[7] Spotting a gap like that between capacity and demand, and deciding what to do about it, is everyday work for airline and airport managers.
How does the MSc work?
It's 12 months and 90 ECTS: six months on campus in Zurich, then six months off campus on an independent research project, with an optional internship.[6] You graduate with a dual award from BHMS and Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, UK.[6] To get in, you need a recognised bachelor's degree in any discipline and English at IELTS 6.0 or equivalent (B2).[6] The next intakes are February, August and November 2027, and the year costs CHF 41,700, including a standard shared room and meals; the room included in that price is on the Lucerne LakeSide campus, and a standard shared room in Zurich adds CHF 2,080 (see the fees page).[6]
If this sounds like your kind of work, read the full page on the MSc in Business and Airline Management, then take the two-minute fit check to see whether the programme suits your degree and your plans.