American Eagle ATP Graduates Walking

ATP Flight School Shares State of Airline Pilot Hiring and 2026 Outlook

Jacksonville, FL — January 22, 2026

ATP Flight School led the industry in graduate airline placements in 2025, with 983 graduates placed at regional and major airlines, as well as corporate operators. American Airlines hired the most ATP graduates of the major airlines, with SkyWest Airlines recruiting the most of any other regional carrier1.

2025 Hiring Trends

Pilot hiring in 2025 increased 17% among the legacy and major airlines compared to the previous year2. While a normalization from the post-COVID hiring surge and aircraft delivery delays moderated activity early in the year, legacy carriers quickly accelerated hiring in the fourth quarter3.

ATP's legacy and major airline placements in 2025 outperformed the previous year by 30%, exceeding overall industry hiring growth and showing demand for ATP-trained pilots4. At the regional airline level, one out of every four new hires graduated from ATP5, with placements occurring just three years after training began6.

For airline-bound aspiring pilots, this reinforces the value of professional, career-oriented training paired with the competitive advantage of airline cadet programs and hiring partnerships7. In contrast to recreational flight schools, ATP's industry-leading graduate placement is due to this distinct advantage.

2026 Hiring Outlook

Pilot hiring grew into the fourth quarter of 2025, signaling strong demand for qualified, professionally trained pilots in 2026. As reported by Aero Crew Solutions, American and United increased their hiring to maximum capacity, running weekly new hire classes totaling a combined 500 pilots per month, stating "these numbers are expected to continue into 2026 as pilot demand is increasing once again."

Airline pilot, an ATP Flight School graduate, seated in an aircraft cockpit holding an iPad

At the most recent RTAG Conference, representatives from American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines shared bullish pilot hiring outlooks for 2026. During the event, American indicated hiring targets of approximately 1,500 pilots, United discussed near-record hiring levels approaching 2,500 pilots, and Delta cited strong near-term demand, with plans to hire roughly 600 pilots in the first quarter alone.

Mandatory retirements continue to be an underlying driver of demand. According to estimates compiled by the National Air Carrier Association, there will be more than 16,000 retirements over the next five years and a cumulative shortage of 28,126 pilots by 2030. The Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook 2025-2044 highlights that the outlook for new airline pilots is positive and that "competition for qualified pilots will remain strong." As global air travel continues to expand, the report concludes that "demand for pilots is likely to soar."

ATP Alumni Impact

ATP continued adding major airline partners in 2025, providing more pathways, and invested directly in the career progression of its alumni by providing professional development opportunities.

Through its no-cost, no-fee Alumni Association, ATP provided graduates with free CFI certificate renewal, free and discounted airline interview prep courses, sponsorship to seven industry networking conferences, and quarterly scholarships for free type rating and ATP CTP training programs.

In 2026, ATP is set to increase its investment in alumni further by doubling the amount of alumni sponsorship to attend industry events and, with its regional and major airline partners, hosting an exclusive career expo for alumni in the fall.

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About ATP Flight School Training Pilots Since 1984

ATP's Airline Career Pilot Program prepares pilots for airline careers from zero time to 1,500 hours, with CFI jobs and airline employment. Addressing the pilot shortage, airlines attract new pilots to the industry with ATP's Tuition Reimbursement Program, where airlines sponsor a portion of pilots' flight training loan repayment. ATP also provides type-rating and ATP CTP certification. ATP's 658 aircraft fly over 600,000 hours each year to provide over 13,700 FAA pilot certificates and ratings. As America's largest flight school, ATP is the leading supplier of professionally trained pilots to the nation's regional airlines.

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  • 1 Internal placement data for all ATP graduates placed with Part 91K, Part 121, and Part 135 operators in 2025.
  • 2 Internal year-over-year trend analysis of airline hiring indicators across selected U.S. carriers, comparing January–November 2025 to the prior period. Findings are based on internally aggregated industry signals informed by publicly available sources.
  • 3 Aero Crew Solutions, “Massive New Hire Classes,” From the Interview Table, email newsletter, October 2025, subject line “Airline Hiring Accelerating.”
  • 4 Internal data for ATP graduates placed at Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines in 2025.
  • 5 Based on sampling of airline-sponsored ATP CTPs representing airline new hires.
  • 6 Average time to initial airline placement from Airline Career Pilot Program start date.
  • 7 Aero Crew Solutions, “2026 Pilot Hiring Outlook,” From the Interview Table, email newsletter, January 2026, subject line “Is It Okay to Post Your Paycheck Online?”

Forward-looking statements in this press release involve a number of preconditions, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual or implied results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Hiring figures and projections referenced herein are based on public statements made by third parties at industry events and are subject to change. All trademarks, trade names, service marks, product names, company names, logos, and brands used or mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners in the United States and other countries. Mention of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them. 14 CFR Part 142 programs are provided by ATP Jet Simulation, Inc.