Thousands of pilots cannot currently fly and may not be ready when borders reopen

Thousands of Australian pilots are effectively disqualified from flying and may not be ready to work when travel resumes.

They have not been able to complete the required number of take-offs and landings, and this lack of training could cause a large backlog when borders reopen.

"The longer this goes on the bigger the problems gets… in the next six months if nothing happens it will be really difficult to travel," pilot Brad Hodson told 9News.

Mr Hodson flies 787 aircraft for Qantas, but his licence has expired.

"My last flight was at the end of February," he said.

"I can't just go and get in the aeroplane that would be unlawful," he said.

Under civil aviation regulations, commercial pilots are required to undertake a certain number of take-offs and landings within a specific period or must complete expensive flight simulator training.

President of the Australian and International Pilots Association (APIA) Mark Sedgwick said without government intervention now simulators will be overwhelmed when Australia opens up.

"We could see a situation where borders are open, but there will be a skills gap to fix when this happens," Mr Sedgwick said.

The pilots' union has called on the government to help pay to keep pilots trained and avoid the backlog halting travel.

"It will be a significant lag before we can meet that passenger demand that's not in the country's interest," Shane Loney told 9News.

Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister Kevin Hogan told 9News: "The pilot training and the pilot hour issue is real.

"The only city that should be in isolation is Melbourne, and the states need to open their borders."