American Airlines Announced They’re Parking 100 Jets Due to Pilot Shortage

American Airlines announced they’re grounding 100 jets due to the pilot shortage.

The pilot shortage constantly increases, forcing most airlines to cancel flights. On Friday, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom says the airline is grounding about 100 regional jets.

“There is a supply and demand imbalance right now. And it really is within the regional carrier ranks,” he said. “We have probably a hundred aircraft. Almost a hundred aircraft that aren’t productive right now that aren’t flying.”

The grounded planes are smaller and carry about 50 and 76 passengers. Nevertheless, Isom said to compensate for the parked airplanes, they’re flying larger regional aircraft, like the Embraer 175.

Isom also added that the airline is currently hiring 2,000 pilots. He believes if “there are the appropriate incentives and there’s the kind of compensation that attracts people to the industry, then this is something that can be remedied.”

Isom isn’t the only CEO that has been feeling the effects of the shortage. In April, Republic Airways asked the FAA for permission to hire pilots from its training academy. Pilots currently need 1,500 hours to be hired. However, Republic Airways is trying to decrease that to 750 hours.

“Republic is not proposing overturning the 1500-hour rule or weakening safety,” Republic CEO said. “To the contrary, we are proposing a more intensive, mission-specific training pathway similar to what is permitted for military pilots under current law.”

In December, United Airlines also announced they’re grounding 100 jets because of the shortage.

“The pilot shortage for the industry is real,” United’s CEO said. “And most airlines are simply not going to be able to realize their capacity plans because there simply aren’t enough pilots, at least not for the next five-plus years.”