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India needs 5,000 more pilots in five years: Govt.

Press TrustofIndia 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.