(Radio Iowa) -The University of Dubuque’s aviation program is seeing record enrollment, as the program’s director says the need for new pilots is growing.

Aviation Program Director Randy Warm tells KCRG TV the federal government’s requires commercial pilots to retire at the age of 65  “There’s a big bulk of generational (pilots) like me who are retiring or close to retiring in the pilot world,” Warm says.

A University of Dubuque Aviation program plane. (KCRG TV photo)

A study by Boeing projects the global aviation industry will need to hire more than 600,000 new pilots by the year 2037.  “If you put all of the aviation flight schools at universities together, we can’t even come close to half of that, filling those roles,” Warm says. The University of Dubuque graduated 55 pilots last year and has 126 new students this year, marking the school’s largest-ever incoming class of aviation students.

The Airline Pilots Association disputes the existence of a national pilot shortage but notes a robust pilot pipeline is needed.