No shortage of pilots in the airline industry, says Willie Walsh

The chief executive of the International Airlines Group (IAG), Willie Walsh, has said there is no shortage of pilots in the airline industry, confirming that Aer Lingus has recently received 3,000 applications for 100 pilot jobs.

Speaking at the Shannon Chamber of Commerce’s President’s lunch at Dromoland Castle, Co Clare, Mr Walsh referred to Ryanair’s recent flight cancellation troubles and said the bigger problem that Ryanair faced was a shortage of people with sufficient experience to be promoted to captain.

“There are lots of pilots in the market,” he said. “There aren’t many who have the qualifications to fly as a captain.”