FARNBOROUGH, England: Aerospace companies are stepping up efforts to attract young engineers as competition from artificial intelligence and other fast-growing technology sectors leaves the industry struggling to replace an aging workforce despite strong demand for aircraft and defense systems.

Recruitment campaigns, interactive exhibits and flying displays dominated this week's Farnborough International Airshow as manufacturers and industry groups sought to inspire students to pursue careers in aerospace and engineering.

The challenge is growing. Britain faces a shortage of around 10,000 specialized aerospace engineers each year, while AI and other emerging technologies continue to draw engineering talent away from the sector.

A March report by the Royal Aeronautical Society found that more than half of licensed aerospace engineers in Britain are over the age of 50, while fewer than 10% are under 30. Although the UK's aerospace sector has expanded 31% over the past decade, the pipeline of new talent has failed to keep pace, according to trade group ADS.

"We in the aerospace industry have been experiencing a shortage of skilled workers for some time ... despite the industry growing year on year for the past 10 years," Kevin Craven, chief executive of aerospace and defence trade group ADS, said.

He said innovations such as flying taxis and sustainability initiatives could help encourage more young engineers to join the industry.

The shortage comes as aerospace manufacturers work through record order backlogs. Companies including Boeing and Airbus are trying to increase aircraft production while many experienced engineers approach retirement.

Industry experts said the sector also faces stiff competition from technology companies, where engineers with similar skills often encounter lower barriers to entry and higher salaries.

"If you're an engineer coming out of Purdue or MIT or any other of the premier aerospace engineering programmes, you might say maybe I'll go to Anthropic or OpenAI as opposed to Boeing or Airbus," said Jerrold Lundquist, consultant and managing director of advisory firm The Lundquist Group.

The UK government hopes renewed defence investment linked to the war in Ukraine will help boost interest in the industry as it develops unmanned drones such as BAE Systems' Brontanax. ADS said the UK's aerospace, defence and security sectors contributed 46.8 billion pounds ($62.4 billion) to the economy last year.

Among those hoping to join the industry was 17-year-old Hassan Butt, a student volunteering at the airshow who dreams of a career in aerospace engineering focused on missiles. "Everyone when they're kids, they look up, they see the planes flying and they think, damn..." he said.

Another 17-year-old visitor, Molly Haydon, said more outreach was needed to encourage students, particularly young women, to consider careers in the sector. "I think they need to educate more young people on it and to get them more knowledge that there are still jobs available in the sector for everyone," she said.