BAC chief executive Piya Tregalnon

BAC chief executive Piya Tregalnon did not say how many more pilots will be needed by Thai airlines.

But he cited forecasts by the world’s two largest aircraft makers, Airbus and Boeing, which suggest that airlines worldwide would need 450,000 new pilots over the next 15 years in tandem with some 20,000 new aircraft taking to the skies over the same period.