Pilot Census
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Commercial pilots

The first certificate you can be paid to use, and the step where the airline pipeline becomes visible.

Active in 2025
118,314
Change vs 2024
+8,587
Since 2015
+17%

History

2015: 101,1642016: 96,0812017: 98,1612018: 99,8802019: 100,8632020: 103,8792021: 104,6102022: 104,4982023: 106,7112024: 109,7272025: 118,314
2025 118,314
2015 · 101,1642025 · 118,314

Last month

641 commercial pilots appeared in the August 2026 releasable file that were not in July 2026. That file covers 47% of active pilots, and newly opted-in airmen look identical to newly certificated ones, so this is an upper bound on issuance rather than a count of it.

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