A shortage of pilots is making travel chaos in Canada even worse

From pandemic-related travel restrictions to extreme weather events, Canada's travel industry has navigated an unprecedented amount of uncertainty of late. And now, just as demand for travel has returned to its 2019 level, airlines are navigating their next patch of turbulence: a lack of qualified pilots.

According to Transport Canada, in a typical pre-pandemic year, roughly 1,100 pilot licences were issued. When complemented by foreign-trained pilots, that was generally more than enough to satisfy the needs of carriers as large as WestJet and Air Canada, all the way down to regional, charter and cargo airlines.

But as demand for flying collapsed in 2020, so did the number of new pilots getting their paperwork. Government data shows less than 500 licences were awarded in 2020, a figure that fell to less than 300 in 2021 and just 238 last year.

The department told CBC News in a statement that while labour shortages in the airline sector has been "identified as a priority area for action," there are no current plans to loosen regulations. But the agency says it's doing what it can to "increase the competitiveness of the Canadian flight training industry as well as improve the viability of aviation careers to address any shortages."

Whatever changes do come will do little to help anyone in the short term, and travellers are already seeing the impact of the industry's current labour crunch.

Staff shortages were a factor in charter airline Sunwing's cancellation of 67 flights over the last two weeks of December, along with extreme weather.

Salaries for experienced pilots generally go up faster and higher at the major airlines than they do at most others, they are so typically able to have their pick among those available. That causes shortages just about everywhere else.

The head of the Air Transport Association of Canada says it's a problem that had been brewing for many years, even before the pandemic.

"We haven't had enough pilots for a long time, mostly at the regional level," John McKenna said.

Getting a commercial licence is the last step in a multi-year process of becoming a pilot, a journey that can cost tens of thousands of dollars and take years.

In Canada, for many that journey ends with a dream job at either WestJet or Air Canada, but because of the expense and time commitment of training a new pilot, the major airlines often hire top staff from smaller carriers instead of methodically developing their own.

"Their fishing grounds is the regional carriers. And the regional carriers go down to the smaller carriers, air taxi groups … those levels have been hurting for many years," McKenna said.

Canada's two biggest airlines told CBC News in emailed statements that while there is indeed a higher than normal demand for pilots right now, both of them are managing to meet their needs.

"As a large global carrier operating the most modern, largest aircraft, we are a very desirable destination for talented pilots," AIr Canada said. "As a result, we are able to attract pilots as required."