In an era of unprecedented technological advancements, aviation leaders convened at the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Next Generation of Aviation Professionals Global Summit at the ICC in Durban this week, where a panel of experts explored the future of the workforce in the aviation industry.

ICAO forecasts suggest that by 2037, over 665,000 aircraft maintenance technicians, 554,000 pilots, 922,000 cabin crew members, and 106,000 air traffic controllers will be needed.

Christian Schleifer, Austria’s representative on the ICAO Council, moderated a panel discussion titled ‘The future of work in aviation – Adapting to the industry transformation’.

Schleifer emphasised the necessity of adapting to industry changes to achieve ICAO’s 2050 vision of CO2 neutrality and zero fatalities, while ensuring no country or potential is left behind.

He stated that there is an immediate need for the industry to leverage the computational power and performance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to augment, rather than replace, human capabilities or safety solutions.

In aviation automation, he said the goal is to maximise efficiency by providing pilots with timely and accurate information, enabling them to make optimal decisions.

“The future of work in aviation will be more interdisciplinary, more collaborative, and more digitally driven than ever before, but it will also demand human skills, adaptability, curiosity, and the courage to challenge the status quo,” said Schleifer.

Schleifer posed the question: What is the most critical shift — cultural, structural, or regulatory —that must occur to truly enable the workforce and workplace to adapt to the impending transformation?

Gary Vermaak, chief of staff at Advisory Advanced Air Mobility Institute, said we are now approaching what is called aviation 3.0, which is the third and electric era of aviation.

In 2020, Vermaak recounted how an Airbus A350, with two pilots aboard for safety, completed a full flight circuit from taxi to take-off, landing, and parking.

He said this made people question whether there will still be pilots by 2050. 

Vermaak said perhaps Boeing and Wisk will have operator supervisors with pilots ensuring smooth operations and ready to intervene.

However, he said there is a significant skills gap due to the electric and autonomous age, requiring attention for both current and future aviation professionals.

Vermaak noted that current technicians and mechanics lack exposure to electronics, high-voltage electricity, autonomous flight, and basic vehicle operation systems.

He stressed the importance of training technical staff for future maintenance of these systems.

Future changes will affect all aspects, said Vermaak, including urban air traffic control, which faces challenges like limited space, bottlenecks, building-related hazards, and the integration of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and drones into shared airspace.

“We need completely new skills. We need to make bigger use of AI, supercomputers, and neural networks…We need to create a workforce that can adapt to that and also be able to lead the charge.”

He said not only does the industry need to go to universities but also to schools from Grade 1 to get the next generation involved in aviation.

Today’s children, fascinated by technology, will drive the increasing integration of AI and supercomputers into the industry, he said.

Khangi Khoza, executive chair of the board of Swissport South Africa, said the biggest shift expected is around predictive workforce strategies.

Khoza believes that the industry will shift from a reactive to a proactive workforce strategy, largely driven by AI.

It is important to remember that AI’s effectiveness is directly dependent on the quality of the data it receives, she said.

“The industry challenge that we all have to address is on skills, what type of skills and the type of people we recruit into the industry to make the data and the type of skills we recruit for, much richer for the future,” said Khoza.

She further stated that for global frameworks to be effective, they must be localised.

“In the local context, you also need the companies to breathe life into that. Now there are various ways you can do that, and we can look forward to an environment that’s enabled by technology. For that, we’re going to need a better-skilled workforce, and we’re going to have to rely a lot more on data,” she said.

Musayeroh Barrie, director general, Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority (SLCAA), said in her experience, what has given them the best results is focusing on a cultural shift.

Barrie said continuous learning and adaptability must be embraced. “I believe if we foster a mindset of developing this environment where young people can experiment while at work, figure out learning patterns, and shift patterns that work for them, we will see enhanced delivery.”

At the same time, she said the industry needs to ensure that regulatory and structural changes support that.

She said AI should be introduced in safe spaces where information is shared. “We need to look at preparing people, not just processes. I think we talk a lot about procedures and processes, but none of that would be successful without the people implementing them.”

Barrie questioned how we could talk about creating a digital environment if we do not know the digital literacy levels of people in our communities.

“How do we prepare people for AI if we don’t understand our local tech ecosystem? So data research is essential to how we get there,” she said.

Thabani Myeza, director of Africa Affairs at the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO), agreed that a corporate and industry cultural shift is critical.

This shift allows outsiders to see us more clearly and helps us to recognise previously unseen aspects, he said.

“That culture will also require a change in the way we do our rigid roles, our manual processes, and we need to move that to a more future-focused way of thinking,” he said.

Myeza emphasised that this reflects collaborative automation, where systems and people work together, rather than individually or operators working in isolation.

He recalled that when he started consulting years ago, there were people, processes, and technology. “Now, it’s a continuous cycle and we are pushing the machines to do more than what they used to do, but at the same time, the machines are pushing us to do more than what we used to do.”

Ben Stanley, CEO of Firstfruits, which helps organisations across different sectors change worldwide, said when speaking to people in the aviation industry, many talk about a ‘new generation’ coming and fear the unknown.

Stanley highlighted authentic and empowering leadership as a crucial shift. This type of leadership, he explained, grants access to essential resources, fostering co-creation.

“We believe in the next generation. They’re phenomenal and they experiment… They will be able to solve many of the problems we are looking at in aviation if we allow them to co-create.”

He said the next generation is not given the opportunity because the industry is correctly fearful of increasing risk or decreasing standards in aviation.

“Therefore, we protect ways of working and we value, correctly, experience… We have a healthy unease in our industry of ensuring safety, ensuring security, ensuring that passengers have flown from A to B well,” he said.

Stanley cautioned that a poorly executed approach could cause the industry to revert to a familiar identity and role, potentially hindering the progress of the next generation due to fear of the unknown.

“Embracing openness is so important. One of the big characteristics of Gen Z now is that, instead of duty, where you and I might do our duty and say we have to do a seven-and-a-half-hour working day, they embrace impact. They’re looking for impact. So we can explore that a bit more,” he said.

karen.singh@inl.co.za

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