Job prospects Captain - Air Transport in Ontario

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "captain - air transport" in Ontario or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Ontario

These outlooks were updated on November 29, 2023.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be very good for Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors (NOC 72600) in Ontario for the 2023-2025 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to several new positions.
• Several positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

What Types of Employers Are Out There?

• Air transportation companies
• Federal government
• Educational services

What are the Main Trends Affecting Employment?

• Improvement in the level of global air travel
• The addition of new routes and lower cost air carriers may create some opportunities at airline companies over the long run

What Skills Do I Need to Succeed?

• Graduation from a certified flying or aviation school and a commercial pilot’s or air transport pilot’s licence are required
• Flight engineers require a Flight Engineer Licence issued by Transport Canada

What Other Information Will I Find Helpful?

• Air pilots typically start working for small regional airlines, and progression to larger commercial airlines is possible with experience.

Here are some key facts about Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors in Ontario:

• Approximately 5,350 people work in this occupation.
• Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Air transportation (NAICS 481): 89%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 90% compared to 81% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 10% compared to 19% for all occupations
• 64% of air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors work all year, while 36% work only part of the year, compared to 63% and 37% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 42 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
• 5% of air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors are self-employed compared to an average of 15% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 93% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: 7% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 9% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 14% compared to 25% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 7% compared to 8% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 47% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 27% compared to 24% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 13% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Ontario by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Labour market conditions over the next 10 years

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "captain - air transport" in Ontario or across Canada.

Learn more