Delta Air Lines Inc. plans to hire more than 1,000 pilots by next summer, according to multiple reports Monday.
Citing an internal memo, Reuters and Bloomberg News separately reported Delta
DAL,
is looking to increase its number of pilots by about 8%, anticipating a recovery in air travel over the next year as international travel restrictions ease.
The Atlanta-based airline has said it expects domestic leisure travel to return to pre-pandemic levels this month, and that it expects a pre-tax profit for the second half of the year as the industry recovers.
Airlines are still figuring out how to adjust to travel as the pandemic eases, at least in the U.S. On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported American Airlines
AAL,
is cutting about 950 flights over the next month in order to avoid straining its operations.
Delta shares are up about 14% year to date and up 56% over the past year, compared to the S&P 500’s
SPX,
12% gain this year and 36% gain over the past 12 months.
