Qatar Airways CEO said he received 20,000 applications for 700 pilot jobs despite airlines battling an industry-wide shortage of flight crews

Qatar Airways CEO said he received 20,000 applications for 700 pilot jobs despite airlines battling an industry-wide shortage of flight crews

While there is an ongoing pilot shortage in the US, one Middle Eastern airline is not struggling to find qualified candidates. In a meeting with reporters at the Farnborough Airshow in England on Monday, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said the airline decided a few months ago that it wanted to hire 700 pilots, and got 20,000 applications. He emphasized that all the applications were from individuals who were "qualified and type-rated," meaning the pilots already had the necessary training and certification to fly a specific aircraft. "They have to go through very a stringent testing facility before we select because we are very, very picky," Al Baker said. According to the CEO, the applications came from all over the world, minus the US, and that Qatar's operation has not been impacted by staffing issues. Qatar is not the only airline receiving thousands of applications for its pilot roles. In May, , all of which were qualified candidates. A Norse spokesperson told Insider at the time that the number was higher than expected and that pilots' desire to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner fueled the interest. Airlines in the US have not been so lucky with their hiring pools,