In light of the grounding of 737 Max Boeing flight, expatriate pilots who were able to fly these particular planes for a job that paid $300,000 plus perks, are having to remain on the ground. 

The Chinese carrier has major ceased to hire foreign pilots to fly Boeing’s narrow-bodied jet as news of two crashes over the last nine months led to the best-selling 737 Max being grounded. China’s global fleet accounts for 20 percent of that particular plane’s total fleet--which is now not flying anymore. 

As the grounding of the 737 Max continues, the demand for pilots who are experienced in flying such planes of has slumped drastically.

The recruitment of pilots flying 737 Max has been suspended while the aviation market has grown in China thanks to the middle class and local airlines. China had more than 1000 foreigners flying their airlines in 2016 which was double than the number of foreign pilots they had in 2010. 

The demand for the world’s best-paid flying jobs is in decline as 737 Max remains on ground. Demand for pilots of other planes such as Airbus models continues to remain high. China’s aviation sector is less keen on hiring foreigners with 61,492 Chinese licensed commercial pilots in the country at the end of 2018. 

Key takeaway: 

It is not just the crashes surrounding 737 Max that have resulted in the sentiment of closing out highly-paid flying jobs for foreigners. As the US-China war continues into its second year, the economy is slowing down as well and impacting the jobs’ demand in the aviation sector.