Thank you for the question.
This is a great opportunity to set the record straight. There isn't actually a backlog of files for medicals; there is a queue of complex medical cases.
Right now the regulations require that medically fit pilots have their medical applications processed within 40 business days. That happens in almost every single case. I think it's important to underscore that 75% of pilots who are going to civil aviation medical examiners or doctors to have their medicals reviewed are processed on the spot in the doctor's office.
The ab initio applications for new pilots have to come through our headquarters, and all pilot applications who are fit are processed within the 40-business-day standard.