Boeing to spend nearly $1M to diversify commercial pilot field

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To meet the long-term demand for commercial airplane pilots, Boeing is investing $950,000 in scholarships for pilot training.

According to the company’s news release, a $500,000 donation from the American aircraft manufacturer will fund 25 scholarships with five aviation groups: Latino Pilots Association, Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Women in Aviation International, and Sisters of the Skies, an organization of professional Black female pilots who employ “mentorship, professional development, outreach and scholarship” to support future Black aviators, per the organization’s website. 

Boeing is also donating $450,000 to the Los Angeles-based nonprofit Fly Compton, which introduces Black youth to aerospace career opportunities, the news release states. 

“The demand for qualified and diverse pilots remains high at airlines worldwide. While becoming a pilot provides a lifelong career, access to training remains a barrier to entry for many,” said Ziad Ojakli, executive vice president of government operations at Boeing. 

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“These organizations are helping the next generation of pilots realize their full potential while also showing communities that are historically underrepresented in the industry that a future in aviation is possible,” Ojakli continued.

Boeing’s donation to Fly Compton “will increase flight training classes” and “introduce career topics related to designing, building and maintaining airplanes and drones,” per the news release. 

Since 2019, Boeing has invested more than $8.5 million in underrepresented communities across the country to access pilot training programs, according to the news release.

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The company estimates that 602,000 new pilots will be required over the next 20 years to maintain and fly the global commercial fleet. 

Chris Broom, vice president of commercial training solutions for Boeing Global Services, noted in the release that “more women and individuals from diverse backgrounds” are entering the pilot profession thanks partly to “the mentorship and guidance that aviation organizations like these provide for early career professionals.”

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