Foreign pilots may ride India’s aviation boom for another year
An old niggle has resurfaced in India's burgeoning aviation sector —a dearth of senior pilots.
The civil aviation ministry, while continuing to root for more Indian pilots, is now likely to extend the deadline for senior foreign pilots operating in India by a year, two people aware of the development told Mint.
The decision to extend the current deadline of December 2024 is part of an annual procedural review, and takes into account the industry's requirements as it rapidly expands.
“There has been a clear policy to encourage more hiring of Indian pilots and there is no shortage of co-pilots in India,” said one of the two people. “However, requirements will increase as airlines expand globally and certain categories such as small aircraft and heliacute copters require such an extension for commanders.”
Both these persons declined to be identified.
India currently has about 10,000 pilots, and yet despite this seemingly large number, the country faces a shortfall and will need about 1,000 additional pilots annually over the next five years, according to industry experts. Currently, India only produces about half of this number each year.
This shortage is particularly for commanders of small aircraft and helicopters. Experts anticipate that, with the industry's growth, the demand for expatriate commanders and trainers, especially in operations involving narrow-body and wide-body aircraft, will rise significantly.
Most foreign pilots are employed to pilot small aircraft such as the ATR-72, Embraer E145, and general aviation aircraft like the Bombardier Global 7500, Dassault Falcon 7X, Gulfstream G550, and helicopters such as the Eurocopter AS350 and Bell 206. These senior foreign pilots are also crucial in training fresh recruits to become commanders.
This need becomes more urgent as carriers that are part of the Air India group, IndiGo, and Akasa prepare for significant fleet expansions, with plans to induct over 1,600 aircraft over this decade