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New York (AFP)

Airlines will need 637,000 new pilots over the next 20 years to keep pace with the growth of global air traffic, Boeing reported Tuesday in an annual report on the subject.

Its latest estimate of the pilot requirements is up 3.6 percent from last year's report.

Airlines in the Asia-Pacific region alone will need 253,000 new pilots, a third of the total, according to the report, which was prepared by Boeing's Global Services Division. It put North America's requirement at 117,000 new pilots and Europe's at 106,000 for the period from 2017 to 2036.

The report also projects a need for 648,000 new aircraft maintenance technicians, a 4.6 percent dip from last year's estimate due mainly to a reduction in maintenance hours required by the Boeing 737 MAX.

As for flight crews, it said 839,000 flight attendants will need to be recruited through 2036, including 308,000 in the Asia-Pacific region, 173,000 in Europe, 154,000 in North America and 96,000 in the Middle East.

A study published last month by CAE, a company that specializes in civil aviation training, found that airlines will need 255,000 more pilots over the next 10 years.

Many experts have warned that airlines face a looming pilot shortage.

© 2017 AFP