The aviation industry is still suffering from a severe shortage of maintenance engineers and other aviation specialists, according to aviation recruitment company Line Up Aviation Personnel.

One of the exhibitors at this year’s BGAD exhibition, Line Up’s David Cook said that more had to be done to encourage people into the industry.

He believes that the reduction of the Royal Air Force and the decline of apprenticeships and training programmes within the UK has meant that fewer people are entering the industry.

“People used to join the aviation field at 18 and stay in it until retirement,” he said. “Today, there’s no incentive for people to join the industry or even stay in it. But the shortage is so severe that when it comes to salary, those who are qualified can almost name their price.”

Line Up would like to see the reinstatement of training programmes as recruiters are having to train people on an ad-hoc basis to fill gaps in the market.