Korean air carriers' pilot recruitment up 8% through August

This picture shows commercial jets parked at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2, Oct. 30, 2023. Korea Times photo by Ha Sang-yoon

The number of pilots newly hired by Korean air carriers rose 8 percent on-year through August, data showed Sunday, driven by post-pandemic travel demand.

The 11 air carriers hired 537 new pilots over the January-August period, compared with 498 in the same period a year earlier, according to Rep. Lee Yeon-hee of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, who cited data from the transport ministry.

The figure marks a significant increase from the annual average of 135 recorded between 2020 and 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

By air carrier, Korean Air hired the highest number of pilots at 119, followed by T'way Air, a low-cost carrier (LCC), with 114.

T'way has been expanding its number of pilots after being designated as an alternative carrier for four routes operated by Korean Air to European cities — Rome, Barcelona, Frankfurt and Paris — following the top player's planned merger with Asiana Airlines.

Eastar Jet, another LCC, hired 79 pilots, followed by Jin Air and Air Busan with 68 and 39, respectively. Asiana has not been hiring new pilots since last year.

The number of flight attendants newly recruited by Korean air carriers, meanwhile, also reached 1,216 over the eight-month period, nearing the 1,238 hired for all of 2023, the data also showed. (Yonhap)