Delta to start calling 1,300 pilots back for training
Leslie Josephs
Delta Air Lines will start recalling some 1,300 pilots on Friday who haven't been flying during the pandemic so they can begin training. Delta said in January it would recall a group of 400, which aren't included in the bidding that starts tomorrow.
"To provide context, the staffing plans over the past 15 months have swung rapidly from a growth trajectory, to significant contraction, followed by the largest pilot retirement event in airline history, a deal to avoid furloughs and now to recovery," said Bob Schmelzer, Delta's director of crew resources, planning, analytics and reporting in a memo to pilots on Thursday.
Because of those retirements, and the fact that many pilots that haven't recently had FAA-mandated training, aviators may need to be certified on other aircrafts.
After a brutal year, consumers are warming to the idea of traveling again as bookings pick up steam. Passenger volumes are still less than half 2019 levels but numbers have recently ticked up as more Covid-19 vaccines have rolled out. In response, some airlines have started hiring pilots and flight attendants again.
Delta doesn’t expect the recovery to pre-pandemic levels to be immediate. John Laughter, Delta’s senior vice president of flight operations said in a memo to pilots on Friday that the carrier is “preparing to build back to 2019 levels of flying by summer 2023.”
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