In light of the success we experienced in aviation from 2021 to 2022, including the unexpected challenges we encountered, we thought it would be worthwhile to discuss the events and share the insight we attained from communicating to numerous clients and candidates through this period.

Find out how last year’s events influenced the industry and how to prepare for this year by reading on.

A look at aviation heading into 2021

Due to the ongoing influences of covid, it was a very formidable time for Aviation at the start of 2021. The majority of flights were grounded because of government restrictions, airlines went under due to financial discretions, and MROs (maintenance, repair and overhaul) shut down or went into hibernation mode while waiting for the restrictions to be lifted and for the market to convalesce.

The number of skilled aviation proficients that we would usually have out at that time of year would usually be around 70 – 90, however, the number shrank significantly to around 15 – 20. Some of the companies we work with focus less on passenger airlines and more on freighter airlines, which means they were still in business if not more engaged than usual because of the surge in online orders. 

Covid also affected B1 & B2 engineers. Due to the high industry standards, these high-level engineers are usually licensed in a specific aircraft type and are responsible for signing off on work that mechanics usually perform. It is also necessary for the engineers to prove that they have worked on the specific type of aircraft for 6 months within the last 2 years along with a list of all the tasks they have performed. This is called recency on type. 

Now since Covid shut down the industry for such a long period, many previously licensed B1 & B2 engineers were not able to obtain their recency on type to prove that they have the experience to work on the specific aircraft, which meant they were not accepted to work in the same positions they usually would. Additionally, as Covid’s effect dissipated, the engineers returning to work could not return at the same level as before. They now needed to work as unlicenced mechanics if they wanted to reenter the market, bearing a huge pay cut from £40-50/hour to £20-30/hour. Considering the ever-increasing cost of living, this is immense.

In addition to the influences of Covid, Brexit also brought challenges. The UK maintenance licences were no longer valid in Europe as they wouldn’t be recognised by the EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency). Consequently, UK engineers who used to work across Europe were no longer able to do so without a Visa, which can take several months to obtain and requires a sponsor. Due to this, engineers in the UK no longer have freedom of work, which makes finding employment more difficult. It might not seem like a big deal, but in the aviation industry, skilled engineers are frequently travelling across Europe due to their work. As a result of both Covid and Brexit, many engineers left the industry and the pool of talent shrank by an estimated 20% – 30%.

In times of adversity

It was a challenging situation, no doubt, but it wasn’t a cause for giving up. Simply put, the old strategy needed to be rethought or our targets needed to be realigned. Therefore, we decided to shift our focus from the UK market to the European market to overcome the new challenges. With this new direction, we developed a great EU candidate talent pool and cultivated several new EU clients across Europe including 3 of the most considerable MROs in Germany. We also acquired a German labour license to better serve our clients.

As an economic impact alone for the Aviation workforce in 2021, V7 has enabled 110+ jobs, which translates into £1.8m / €2.1m in employment pay. 

Industry-wide, we saw the greatest need for B1 & B2 engineers throughout the year. This is due to the loss of UK engineers who do not have the required type of recency on their license. Although MROs were slower in the first half of the year, it was expected as winter is the most active time for them. When the news spread that the borders would open again, we noticed a spark once again ignite the industry. It didn’t take long for the withered industry to come back to life, with many clients booking maintenance slots for the winter months. 

Future Expectations

Compared to 2021, the start of 2022 was much more prosperous as many clients were already preparing for September.

We surveyed clients throughout the industry to find out what they thought about the industry thriving and a renewed sense of hope. Our question was whether they thought this level of productivity would continue or if it was simply the after-effects of Covid and the storing of a large number of aircraft for an extended amount of time.

The extra demand seems to be driving all of our clients to increase their capacity more than ever, even acquiring new, larger hangers with additional bays to accommodate it and it seems to be something that will continue.

Despite this, there is still a substantial dearth of skilled workers and finding them has never been harder. As a result of the reasons previously mentioned, but also because of the ensuing war between Russia and Ukraine, many skilled workers within the sector are reluctant to work away from home. 

We work with many Eastern European skilled workers who are not directly from Russia or Ukraine, but from neighbouring countries such as Latvia, Lithuania, etc. and they are very reluctant to leave their families as the future is still quite uncertain.

To further enhance our service for both clients and candidates, we are considering helping facilitate permanent visa sponsorships for war-affected regions. There is a huge skill shortage, so several clients are now looking to hire engineers on a permanent basis, so visa applications can take three to six months. This provides a multitude of benefits and allows skilled workers to offer their families a safer and better quality of life.

We hope that you have taken value from our 2021-2022 Aviation Report & if you are looking to grow your team further and need help from real industry experts, please begin by calling Alex Waterhouse the Head of Aviation on 0161 394 1003 or email awaterhouse@v7recruitment.com