Most live pilot listings right now are not with the airlines. As of 22 June 2026, AeroScout is tracking 1,577 live pilot and cabin crew listings, and when you sort the 1,390 pilot listings by sector, business and corporate aviation is the biggest at 41 percent, ahead of passenger airlines at 27 percent. Nearly three in four pilot listings sit outside the airlines entirely.
Updated 22 June 2026. Every figure here is pulled from AeroScout's live database on this date, across 740 airlines and operators. These are counts of live listings and they move daily, so we date the snapshot and refresh it each quarter.
The headline: of 1,390 live pilot listings, business and corporate aviation accounts for 568 (41 percent), more than passenger airlines on 381 (27 percent). Add flight instruction, charter, cargo, government and air medical, and 1,009 of the listings, almost 73 percent, are outside the passenger airlines.
Where the pilot jobs actually are
Ask most people where pilots get hired and they picture an airline. The live board tells a different story. Business and corporate flying, the world of private jets and company flight departments tracked by bodies like the National Business Aviation Association, is the single largest sector, and it has more open listings than the airlines right now.
| Sector | Live listings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Business and corporate | 568 | 41% |
| Airline (passenger) | 381 | 27% |
| Flight instruction | 183 | 13% |
| Charter (Part 135) | 97 | 7% |
| Government and military | 50 | 4% |
| Air medical | 34 | 2% |
| Cargo | 19 | 1% |
| Other or unspecified | 58 | 4% |
This is the kind of thing the pilot shortage debate usually misses. The hiring is real, but it is concentrated where people are not looking. Early in your career and set on the majors? You are skipping the part of the market with the most open listings right now. The wider hiring cycle does swing, as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics outlook notes, which is exactly why a live read beats a headline.
Two in three listings do not require a type rating
One of the most useful numbers for low hour pilots: of the 1,390 live pilot listings, 898 are open to applicants who are not yet type rated. That is about two in three. A further 187 are explicit direct entry positions. The common belief that you cannot get a look without a current type rating simply is not what the openings say.
If a type rating is the wall in front of you, that changes the search from impossible to specific. Our report on which airlines pay for your type rating picks up there.
Captains are wanted more than first officers
Among the listings that name a rank, captain and command positions outnumber first officer seats by almost two to one, 722 to 397. That points to operators needing experienced pilots to fill left seats faster than they are growing the bottom of the pipeline, which fits a market led by business aviation and charter rather than big cadet driven airline intakes.
The fleets hiring most
The single most listed fleet is the Airbus A320 family, but look down the list and the business jets crowd in: the Pilatus PC12, the Challenger 350 and 650, and the Citation CJ all rank near the top, alongside the regional ATR and Dash 8.
| Aircraft | Live listings |
|---|---|
| Airbus A320 family | 109 |
| Boeing 737 | 53 |
| Pilatus PC12 | 42 |
| Bombardier Challenger 350 | 34 |
| Bombardier Challenger 650 | 34 |
| ATR | 33 |
| Cessna Caravan | 32 |
| Cessna Citation CJ | 27 |
| Dash 8 | 27 |
| Airbus A330 | 23 |
Operators with the most live listings
The operator with the most live listings is not an airline. It is Solairus Aviation, a US business aviation manager, with 43, and each one is a specific aircraft and base, so they are genuinely separate seats. Read the rest of this table as listing volume rather than a like for like vacancy count: Ryanair's 28, for example, are mostly cabin crew postings made one per base, which is how low cost carriers recruit, not 28 separate vacancies.
| Operator | Live listings |
|---|---|
| Solairus Aviation | 43 |
| Ryanair | 28 |
| Jet Aviation | 27 |
| CAE | 26 |
| Clay Lacy Aviation | 21 |
| Wizz Air | 19 |
| Executive Jet Management | 19 |
| FlightSafety International | 16 |
| Air Arabia | 14 |
| Breeze Airways | 12 |
Cabin crew: the low cost carriers lead
On the cabin crew side there are 187 live listings, and the pattern is cleaner: low cost and ultra low cost carriers do most of the hiring. Ryanair has the most, posting cabin crew base by base across Europe, followed by Breeze Airways, Wizz Air, Norwegian and Air Arabia. For cabin crew the budget airlines are where the volume is, and you can browse it all on the cabin crew jobs board.
Visa sponsorship is rare
A reality check for pilots hoping to move countries on the job: only 37 of the 1,390 live pilot listings, fewer than 1 in 30, advertise visa sponsorship, and none of the current cabin crew listings do. Sponsorship exists, but it is the exception, so plan around your existing work rights rather than counting on a job to provide them.
How we compiled this
Every number here comes from AeroScout's own live database on 22 June 2026: 1,390 active pilot listings and 187 cabin crew listings drawn from 740 airlines and operators, gathered from the airlines' own career pages and our network. These are counts of live listings, not unique vacancies. Some operators, especially low cost carriers, post one listing per crew base, so a carrier like Ryanair can show many cabin crew listings that are really one ongoing recruitment run across its bases, while business and corporate operators usually post one listing per seat. We sorted pilot listings into sectors from each operator's type, where business and corporate combines corporate flight departments and private operators, charter is Part 135, and instruction covers flight schools and training providers. First officer counts include senior first officer roles, and sector shares are rounded to the nearest percent. These counts change daily, so treat them as a snapshot of late June 2026 and check the board for the current picture.
What it means for you
If you are low on hours, stop waiting for an airline call and look at business aviation, charter and flight instruction, where most of the listings are and where two in three do not need a type rating. If you want an airline, the low cost carriers are the most active, on both the flight deck and in the cabin. If you are moving country, sort for the small number of roles that sponsor a visa and build your search around your work rights. The fastest way to act on any of this is to let the board match listings to your hours and ratings, then apply to several at once.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a pilot shortage in 2026?
It depends on the sector. AeroScout's live board shows steady hiring, 1,390 pilot listings right now, but the demand is concentrated in business and corporate aviation, charter and flight instruction rather than spread evenly across the airlines. So it is not a flat shortage everywhere. It depends on which sector you are looking at.
What kind of pilot jobs are most common right now?
Business and corporate aviation, which makes up 41 percent of live pilot listings, ahead of passenger airlines on 27 percent and flight instruction on 13 percent. Charter, cargo, government and air medical roles make up the rest. Nearly three in four live pilot listings are outside the passenger airlines.
Do I need a type rating to get a pilot job?
Usually not. About two in three live pilot listings, 898 of 1,390, are open to applicants who are not yet type rated, and 187 are explicit direct entry positions. A type rating helps for specific jobs, but the majority of current openings do not demand one up front.
Are airlines or business aviation hiring more pilots?
Business and corporate aviation, clearly. As of 22 June 2026 it accounts for 568 live pilot listings, 41 percent of the total, against 381, or 27 percent, for passenger airlines. The operator with the most live listings is a business aviation manager, Solairus Aviation, whose listings are individual aircraft seats rather than per base postings.
Which airlines are hiring cabin crew?
Low cost carriers lead the cabin crew listings. Ryanair has the most, posting base by base across Europe, followed by Breeze Airways, Wizz Air, Norwegian and Air Arabia. There are 187 live cabin crew listings in total, and the budget airlines account for most of the volume.
Do pilot jobs offer visa sponsorship?
Rarely. Only 37 of the 1,390 live pilot listings, fewer than 1 in 30, advertise visa sponsorship, and none of the current cabin crew listings do. If you need to move countries, plan around your existing work rights and treat sponsorship as a bonus, not a given.
How often is this report updated?
The figures reflect AeroScout's live database on the date at the top, and we refresh the report each quarter. Because the underlying counts change daily as jobs open and close, the live jobs board is always the most current view.
See the live board
These counts show the shape of the market. The jobs themselves are on the board. Browse the live pilot and cabin crew jobs on AeroScout, free and with no card, and if you want to see how the boards compare, read our guide to the best pilot and cabin crew job boards in 2026.