Airlines in the Middle East will need 67,000 new pilots between 2026 and 2045, according to Boeing's latest Pilot and Technician Outlook. Over the same period the region will also need 65,000 maintenance technicians and 104,000 cabin crew members. Worldwide, Boeing expects demand for 674,000 new pilots over the next 20 years1. Middle East Online put the regional figure at the centre of an analysis of training capacity and workforce planning on 28 October2.

A steady forecast in a disrupted year

The regional number has not moved. The previous edition of the outlook, covering 2025 to 2044, also put Middle East demand at 67,000 pilots, against a global total of 660,0003. Boeing expects the region to take delivery of 2,995 aircraft by 2045, 1,370 of them widebodies, with the regional fleet growing by 3.5% a year. China, by comparison, is forecast to receive 1,460 widebodies out of 9,240 deliveries1.

The forecast arrives in a difficult year for Middle Eastern aviation. Middle Eastern carriers accounted for 9.5% of the world's passenger traffic in 2025, measured in revenue passenger kilometres4. In March 2026 their international traffic was 60.8% lower than a year earlier, which IATA described as "a direct result of the US-Israel-Iran war, which closed much of the airspace in the region"5. In April the decline narrowed to 48.1% as an uneasy ceasefire came into effect4. Traffic then gradually stabilised, but in August the decline widened again, which IATA said was "reversing the trend of gradual stabilization since the Iran war in February"6.

Boeing notes that, industry-wide, geopolitical and weather-related disruptions in 2026 prompted some carriers to adjust recruitment plans for pilots and cabin crew. Boeing expects the impact to be temporary within its 20-year horizon, but says it is "likely to create near-term pressure on recruitment and capacity planning over the next one to two years"1. Middle East Online also stresses that the projections describe long-term demand, not current vacancies or proof of an immediate shortage2.

Order books still point to growth

Gulf carriers placed or announced large orders in 2025, before the disruption. Emirates ordered 65 more Boeing 777-9s in November 2025, taking its Boeing order book to 315 widebodies, including 270 777Xs7. Qatar Airways signed for up to 210 Boeing widebodies in May 2025, 160 of them firm8. In November 2025 flydubai signed a memorandum of understanding covering 150 Airbus A321neos, with deliveries from 20319.

Etihad ended 2025 with an operating fleet of 127 aircraft after adding 29, and almost 400 pilots joined the airline during the year10. In Saudi Arabia, Riyadh Air flew RX401 to London Heathrow on 10 June 2026, its inaugural flight with its own Boeing 787-911. In July it announced it was exercising options for 28 more 787s, alongside the six it was already flying12.

Cadet schemes are largely for nationals

For pilots looking at the Gulf, the entry route depends on nationality and experience. Emirates lists four entry points on its careers site: its National Cadet Pilot Programme from zero hours, first officers from 2,000 hours, accelerated command from 5,000 hours and direct-entry captains from 7,000 hours13.

Etihad relaunched its Cadet Pilot Programme for UAE nationals in October 2024. At the time the airline said it aimed to employ more than 600 Emirati pilots by 203014. Cadets on the Qatar Airways programme graduate with a Multi-Crew Pilot Licence (MPL)15. A Saudia cadet advert dated 17 October is open to Saudi nationals only and asks for a GACA multi-engine commercial pilot licence and at least 240 flying hours, 25 of them on multi-engine aircraft16.

Jazeera Airways turns to a European flight school

Kuwait's Jazeera Airways has turned to BAA Training to deliver an 18-month integrated ATPL course with multi-crew cooperation (MCC) for two groups of cadets. The first group began training in August 2026 at BAA Training's facilities in Lleida-Alguaire, Spain; the MCC phase will use an Airbus A320 Level 2 flight training device17. BAA Training chief executive Marijus Ravoitis linked the deal to airline growth in the region, saying that the need for qualified pilots "is growing just as quickly" as the region's airlines expand17.

Boeing describes a broader shift in pilot recruitment: airlines are placing greater emphasis on school partnerships, cadet programmes and airline-branded training routes, with scholarships, financing arrangements and conditional employment pathways increasingly used to make the profession more accessible1. Middle East Online adds that whether projected demand turns into recruitment will depend on fleet expansion, staff turnover and the industry's ability to train qualified pilots fast enough2.