Pilot shortage in Japan threatens its goal for 60 million tourists by 2030

By Supriya Singh
 

As record tourists flock to Japan for its world-renowned hospitality, exceptional sushi and ancient shrines, the country’s airlines are facing a severe shortage of pilots. And finding them won’t be easy.
 

Japan currently has about 7,100 pilots and the government projects another 1,000 will be needed by 2030 to help meet its target of attracting some 60 million tourists that same year. In an acknowledgment that may mean looking outside for talent, measures being considered by a panel set up by the transport ministry earlier this year include converting foreign pilots’ licenses to Japanese ones at a faster and cheaper rate.

 

But there are several reasons why hiring pilots from overseas isn’t proving easy. There’s opposition from local unions and carriers in Japan typically pay less than airlines elsewhere. Compounding the shortage, many airline captains, currently aged in their 50s, are set to retire by around 2030, according to the ministry.

“Major airlines will have to revise their internal operational processes to accommodate non-Japanese speaking pilots,” said Nobuhito Abe, a partner and the Asia Pacific lead of aerospace and industrials at Kearney. Japanese carriers still have “very domestic internal processes.”

On average, captains at Japan Airlines Co. and All Nippon Airways Co. receive annual salaries of around ¥25 million ($172,900), an industry source said. A pilot with 12 years flying experience at Delta Air Lines Inc. meanwhile can expect to get about $453,000 while someone flying for American Airlines Inc. would be in line for about $480,000, the source said.

An influx of foreign pilots would likely also rankle local staff, inciting fears of inferior treatment or being passed over for promotions. Like many professions in Japan, Japanese pilots often see their job as one for life. Historically, the bulk of pilots coming up through the system in Japan are either hired as fresh recruits by ANA or JAL, or graduate from the government-funded Civil Aviation College, which takes in around 100 students each year.

Representatives from All Nippon Airways Crew Association and JAL Flight Crew Union didn’t respond to requests for comment.

As it is, foreign pilots in Japan are few and far between.

JAL has around 2,000 pilots and a “few” non-Japanese ones, according to a spokesperson. ANA meanwhile has about 2,400 pilots and hardly any outsiders, other people said.

Compare that to Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., which has pilots from 70 nationalities on its payroll, according to a company email. Emirates is also famously known for its large expat pilot community, and its pre-departure flight announcements often highlight the number of languages spoken by its international cabin crew.

JAL said it’s “currently hiring contract-based foreign pilots to deal with the 2030 problem as a temporary solution and not as a permanent measure. Basically, we’ll continue employing pilot trainees that are hired as fresh graduates as permanent employees.”

Representatives for ANA declined to comment. 

With no clear solution in sight and tourist arrival numbers hitting fresh highs monthly, the expert panel set up by the transport ministry is also considering ways to encourage captains to work after they turn 65. It’s also looking at ways to attract more female pilots.

Kentaro Fujibayashi, an official with the Civil Aviation Bureau’s crew policy office, said the government is determined to raise pilot numbers in Japan via various means. “There may be some airlines that actively recruit foreign pilots and there may be others who don’t,” he said. “But it’s a goal that we strive for and we’re going to do our best” to achieve the target.

Falling short may mean missing out on lucrative tourism dollars as carriers simply can’t find the crew to fly the necessary number of planes.

If the nation doesn’t ensure a smooth pipeline of pilots then it’s going to be “tough to realize the already difficult target of 60 million tourists,” Kotaro Toriumi, an independent airline and travel analyst, said.