16-07-2025
Asia-Pacific will need over 230k new pilots, 250k aircraft maintenance technicians by 2042: ICAO chief
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ICAO secretary-general Juan Carlos Salazar (left) and Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling at the inaugural ICAO Asia-Pacific regional training symposium on July 16.
SINGAPORE – The Asia-Pacific region will require more than 230,000 new pilots and over 250,000 aircraft maintenance technicians by 2042, in order to fuel the growth of the aviation industry in this part of the world, secretary-general of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Juan Carlos Salazar said on July 16.
The Asia-Pacific region requires a standardised training ecosystem that is tech-driven and can be scaled up that is able to rapidly produce pilots, technicians and other types of aviation professions, said Mr Salazar.
He pointed out that the year 2042 roughly marks the time today's toddlers enter university.
Speaking to over 400 industry partners and training experts at the inaugural ICAO Asia-Pacific regional training symposium on July 16, Mr Salazar underscored the importance of jumpstarting training to produce the required talent in the reigon.
At the same time, he outlined the 'severe shortage' of training facilities in the region, including pilot training schools, maintenance training centres and air traffic control academies.
'We need to build regional training hubs, particularly in Southeast Asia and South Asia, to reduce the dependence on schools outside the region,' added Mr Salazar.
His comments come after Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow said on July 14 that Singapore intends to roll out
new training programmes to train more aviation officials from around the world.
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At the training symposium, Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling also announced the launch of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS)'s new training programme the Asia Pacific Training Awards.
There will be 120 of these awards set aside for government officials from civil aviation authorities of Asia-Pacific states to train at the Singapore Aviation Academy. The academy, CAAS's training arm, is currently
undergoing a $120 million refresh that is slated to be completed by 2026.
Ms Sun noted that to date, more than 9,500 fellowships and scholarships have been awarded to industry professionals worldwide through courses conducted by the academy.
She added that Singapore and ICAO had launched the first-ever Asia-Pacific Youth for Aviation Programme on July 14, which brought 36 youth aged 19 to 28 from 19 Asia-Pacific states together to visit aviation sites and learn about emerging industry developments.
CAAS noted that these youth will also take part in a youth dialogue session with Mr Salazar and director-general of CAAS Han Kok Juan.
'The programme offers a unique platform for young enthusiasts to build connections and experience the interconnected nature of the aviation ecosystem,' said Ms Sun.
Mr Dylan Sim, one of the two youth participants from Singapore, told The Straits Times that he was looking forward to familiarising himself with the aviation industry, in addition to receiving feedback from Mr Salazar and Mr Han on his group's presentation on workforce developments in the Asia-Pacific.
'Interacting with the other youth participants from other countries opens up all our minds to the world of aviation,' said the 23-year-old third-year university student who specialises in aerospace engineering as part of his mechanical engineering course.
