BUSINESS SCOPE FOR CIVIL MRO IN INDIA

students shrunk an average of 2.7 per cent annually over the last five decades.

The shortage has already caused airlines to cancel hundreds of flights this year. Some communities lost air services completely which forced passengers to travel further just to get to a functioning airport. The Committee’s proposed modification would allow new hires to obtain a certificate with restricted privileges after completing an Enhanced Qualification Programme (EQP). With a predefined curriculum, the programme would be executed mostly by regional airlines with help from the FAA.

In short, this new way of thinking equates hours in classrooms and simulators with experience operating an aircraft by accumulating “credits” to reduce the total number of required flight hours. Two credit accounting methods were proposed: 250 academic hours credited for every candidate that completes the EQP, effectively reducing the required flight hours by the same amount. 750 academic hours credited to candidates that complete the EQP, effectively reducing the required flight hours by 250 for candidates with military background, 500 flight hours for candidates with a four-year bachelor degree and 750 flight hours for candidates with two-year bachelor degree. Airlines are also developing other alternatives to mitigate the problem. Some are working to attract new pilots at a much earlier age, even as early as high school. JetBlue Airways for example, has set up its own programme by offering internships for aspiring commercial pilots while students are at the university. United Airlines is linking up with flight training schools and developing career path programmes so that students have a job upon graduation.

Carriers are also offering generous signing bonuses, raising pay scales and improving benefits. One way to attract more pilots is to shorten the time to progress through training and to accumulate qualifying hours. That time savings translates into cost savings for a new recruit and up to two years more time earning a career salary. That is a significant incentive.

There are encouraging signs that these initiatives are working, particularly in the USA. Airlines there are getting back on track to meet their future staff levels. I am optimistic that we, as an industry, will find new ways to bring a whole new generation of pilots into the cockpits of our airplanes.

Flying is a fantastic career. If you are considering a future in the skies, the airline industry offers tremendous opportunity and job security for pilots, especially with such robust growth in air travel projected over the next twenty years.

THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY OFFERS TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY FOR PILOTS, ESPECIALLY WITH SUCH ROBUST GROWTH IN AIR TRAVEL PROJECTED OVER THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS