Congress addressing aviation industry challenges as pilot shortage looms

WASHINGTON D.C. — Growing airline workforce challenges have Congress now reviewing the aviation industry.

On Wednesday, they discussed how to improve recruitment efforts while keeping up with air travel demand.

Experts say air travel is soaring again after the pandemic.

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But that surge is also highlighting some longstanding challenges like the ongoing pilot shortage.

They explain more than half of them will hit retirement within the next 15 years.

Lawmakers met with airline associations, pilots, and instructors about workforce challenges.

This includes Sharon DeVivo, the president of Vaughn College which is an aviation school in New York.

She says awareness about aviation careers can start as early as elementary school for potential students.

The president also suggests more training programs in high schools.

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But she says money continues to be a barrier, especially for low-income and underserved communities.

She wants Congress to increase funding for Pell Grants.

That’s because she says training costs can be expensive.

“For our flight students the cost of training is an additional $75-85,000. Many families don’t qualify for a parent plus loan and they turn to the alternative loan market where the interest rates are high,” DeVivo said.

Some experts say technology could help lower costs.

This includes increasing the use of flight simulators during training.

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