​For the last few years holiday-makers, families and business people have been itching to get onto a flight for a change of scenery, client meetings, a time to relax and for new experiences. But with the furlough of many staff during the pandemic along with a large number of redundancies, the aviation industry is in a difficult position at the moment due to a lack of staff. We’ve seen a flurry of cancelled or delayed flights at some of the UK’s leading airports and many horror stories of holds up with the return of baggage and queues at security. It’s been reported that 2.3million jobs were lost across airlines, airports and civil aerospace groups during the pandemic. This isn’t just the case in the UK, but on a global level too.

As the summer holidays are in full force and covid restrictions have been lifted, there has been a huge surge of travelers in the last few months. But what’s the hold up and what can you do if you’re looking for a career in aviation? Unlike standard job roles where you only need a few days if not weeks of training, vacancies in the aviation industry require a more thorough process of training across the board. Whether that’s engineering, airport support teams, customer service or aircrew. You also have to bear in mind security clearance to allow you to work in an airport in the first place.

There certainly isn’t a shortage of opportunities on offer though which could be a great chance for candidates to try something new and finally pursue that dream of working in the field. It may be challenging at times - which jobs aren’t - but there are many benefits including the chance to improve your skill set, travel the world and promote through the ranks.

Last month to assist with the recruitment drive in the aviation sector, HMRC announced that it is launching an updated and improved version of its digital employment records service. It means that the average time it takes to complete the mandatory security vetting for new employees has gone from 20 days to just five. This came into effect on the 25th July along with a £1.5million injection of funds to help with recruitment initiatives in the industry.

Aviation was one of the worst hit areas of employment during the pandemic as international and domestic travel became impossible. Now that the worst of the pandemic is over, aerospace is growing again at a substantial rate.

In the last month Boeing - one of the world’s largest aerospace companies - has predicted the need for 2.1million new aviation jobs over the next 20 years. In Europe alone that equates to 122,000 new pilots, 120,000 new technicians and 162,000 new cabin crew. This is based on the commercial market outlook of 47,080 more aircraft by 2041. Farnborough Air Show in July is evidence of how much growth is being predicted for the coming years as the manufacturer sold over 200 Boeing 737 MAX air-crafts. A new aircraft such as this needs more staff to assist airlines as they aim to-wards being more sustainable with the industry's pledge of becoming net-zero by 2050.

The future of the aviation industry is certainly on the up. Although it may be a difficult time for a number of travelers at the moment going on their summer holidays, for candidates looking for a new career this is a great chance to enter a jobs market that has plenty on offer.

From temporary to contract and permanent roles we partner with leading aerospace employers nationwide. Alternatively if you are an employer in the industry searching for new talent, we can help. Speak to our team on 01453 827333 for an informal chat about how we can prosper together for a brighter future. We also share plenty of new opportunities in wider areas such as engineering, automotive, electronics, defence, scientific, oil and gas, logistics and manufacturing, just check out our website for the latest positions.