Japan is clearly one of the key destinations for the year 2024. In the first half of the year, the country of the rising sun recorded A record 17.78 million foreign touristsattracted by the weak yen which makes stays much more affordable.
However, this growth risks coming up against a physical limit: the number of pilots available at the country’s airlines, such as All Nippon Airways (ANA) or Japan Airways (JAL).
According to Bloomberg, Japan currently has about 7,100 pilots and the government projects it will need another 1,000 by 2030 to meet its goal of attracting some 60 million tourists by the same year. Especially since many captains, currently in their 50s, are expected to retire by 2030.
Very few foreign pilots in Japan.
One of the proposed solutions is to hire more foreign pilots, which is not customary among domestic operators, simply because of a language issue. This would facilitate, for example, the conversion of foreign pilot licenses into Japanese licenses at a faster and cheaper rate.
“Major airlines will need to review their internal operational processes to accommodate non-Japanese speaking pilots,” said Nobuhito Abe, partner and head of Kearney’s aerospace and industrials for Asia Pacific. Japanese airlines still have “very internal internal processes,” he tells Bloomberg.
There is also the issue of salaries, which are lower in Japan. On average, captains at Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways earn 25 million yen a year ($172,900), compared with $453,000 for a pilot with 12 years of flying experience at Delta Air Lines or $480,000 at American Airlines.
Encourage pilots to work after age 65.
As a result, there are few foreign pilots in Japan. JAL has about 2,000 pilots and “some” non-Japanese, according to a spokesman. Meanwhile, ANA has about 2,400 pilots and virtually no foreigners.
Bloomberg recalls that a company like Cathay Pacific Airways (Hong Kong) employs pilots of 70 nationalities, as does Emirates, which is also known for its large community of expatriate pilots. But things are gradually changing in Japan.
Another solution envisaged to avoid a real shortage is to find ways to encourage pilots to work after age 65 and also to attract more female pilots.
If the country does not ensure a steady flow of pilots, it will be “difficult to achieve the already difficult target of 60 million tourists,” said Kotaro Toriumi, an independent airline and travel analyst.
Source: BFM TV
