Ryanair crisis: Aviation expert warns 600,000 new pilots needed in 20 years

It is a problem clearly forecast but often ignored, resulting in the need for airlines to apply quick and costly solutions

Ryanair’s announcement that it is cancelling 18,000 flights between November and March has understandably evoked the ire of the 400,000 customers affected. And, hot on the heels of news that it was cancelling up to 50 flights a day from mid-September to the end of October, it is facing a PR nightmare and trouble with regulators.

Amid the outrage, the reason for the cancellations has been largely lost. The airline said it “messed up in the planning of pilot holidays”. But this is part of a major industry-wide problem. Ryanair might be