India needs 5,000
more pilots in five years: Govt.
Press Trust of
India
Wednesday, March 12, 2008 (New Delhi)
The civil
aviation industry in the country may need about 5,000 pilots in
the next five years and the sector has started relying on expert
pilots, whose current strength stands at 944, according to data
presented in Rajya Sabha by the government.
In a written reply to Rajya
Sabha, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said: "On the basis
of the estimated growth, there may a requirement of about 5,000
pilots in the country in the next five years".
The civil aviation industry in
the country is facing a shortage of type rated pilots, he added.
In order to bridge the gap
between the demand and availability, 944 foreign pilots have
been engaged by airlines, the minister said.
He said major carriers,
including Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines and Air India have
275, 107 and 63 foreign pilots respectively.
Interestingly, some airlines are
having more foreign pilots on their roll call than Indian.
In a reply to another query,
Patel said airlines such as Air India Express, Paramount Airways
and Blue Dart have more expat pilots than Indian.
Air India Express has 79 foreign
pilots as compared to 44 Indian, while Paramount Airways has 11
as against three. Cargo carrier Blue Dart has 10 foreign pilots
and only six Indian. Budget carrier Indigo has 84 foreign and 88
Indian pilots.
Patel said to bridge the gap
between demand and domestic supply of pilots, the government has
decided to establish a flying training institute at Gondia,
Maharashtra.
Also, Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Akademi would be upgraded to
enhance its intake to 100 students per year from the current 40
students a year, he added.
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