Airlines are expanding but where are the pilots?

Industry experts project that India will need to train around 1,000 pilots every year for the next five years to meet the needs of a growing fleet. AFP PHOTO/ Sajjad HUSSAIN (Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN / AFP)

The aviation market in India, currently the third-largest in the world, is expected to report exponential growth for the next 10 years.

While most stakeholders are optimistic and betting big on the growth of the sector, pilots in the country are concerned that this may be accompanied by deteriorating work standards.

In January, two Air India pilot unions—the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) and the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA)—pointed to a shortage of pilots for the airline’s ultra-long-haul flights.

Pilots at India's largest domestic airline IndiGo have also complained of being overworked and having a skewed work-life balance.

While the country’s airlines are taking steps to address the concerns of their key people, the question remains: Does India have a pilot shortage or are pilots mismanaged in the country?

Current scenario

The biggest airlines in India are all expanding operations; Air India has placed an order for around 470 aircraft, IndiGo is looking to induct another 300 aircraft in the next decade, Akasa Air is expected to soon come out with a 'large order' for planes, and Jet Airways is expected to restart operations soon.

As Indian airlines spread their wings, they will also need to expand their roster of pilots. India has about 9,000 pilots for 700 aircraft. Aviation consultancy Capa India suggests airlines in India will deploy 150 to 175 new aircraft in 2024, which would require an additional 1,800 to 2,000 pilots and 4,000 to 5,000 cabin crew.

Industry experts project that India will need to train around 1,000 pilots every year for the next five years to meet the needs of a growing fleet. While the government has often said that India is not facing a shortage of pilots, it has admitted to a shortage of certain kinds of aviators on certain types of aircraft in the country.

"There is no shortage of pilots in India. There is, however, shortage of Type rated Commanders/PIC (Pilot-in-command) on certain types of aircraft and the same is being managed by utilising foreign pilots by issuing Foreign Aircrew Temporary Authorisation (FATA)," minister of state for civil aviation V K Singh had said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha in February.

Last week, the government allowed Indian airlines to use foreign pilots for a short period in view of a shortage of pilots to operate the Boeing 777 aircraft, civil aviation secretary Rajiv Bansal said. “The demand for 777 pilots is such that for the first time, after years, we are allowing FATA pilots,” Bansal said.

A senior pilot operating in India said that airlines are promoting senior pilots that are operating narrow-body planes to operate wide-body planes. "Senior A320 and Boeing 787 pilots are being promoted to operate wide-body planes which is, in turn, creating a shortage of narrow-body pilots in India as well," the person said.

Does this mean India has a short-term issue and over the next few years the dynamics are likely to change?

Lack of infrastructure

Aviation experts and insiders have pointed out that India has a shortage of flying schools.

"India does not have adequate infrastructure to train and churn out pilots as per industry requirements for the next five years. Currently, a large number of pilots get training in other countries. After coming here, they need to undergo 20 hours of flying, including day and night (flights) and cross-country (flights) for the issue of CPL (commercial pilot licence) by the regulator. Issuance of CPLs also takes some time," another senior pilot told Moneycontrol.

"The government has taken initiatives but there is a lack of proper infrastructure at flight training organisations. There should be monitoring and audit of FTOs," he added.

Similarly, air safety expert Mohan Ranganathan said that due to a lack of investment by domestic airlines in India in training institutes, the country continues to face a shortage of talent. He added that airlines in India have often neglected their employees and have often taken stop-gap measures when facing a shortage of pilots rather than invest long-term in creating the infrastructure.

"Airlines have historically resorted to FATA pilots to address any shortage in crew, instead of training their own pilots," Ranganathan said.

Shakti Lumba, a veteran of the aviation industry, told Moneycontrol that the gestation period to obtain a CPL abroad is about one year but can take up to three years in India. "The country has to build up aviation training infrastructure in partnership with the industry," Lumba said.

In 2022, around 1,200 commercial pilot licences were issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), much higher than its average of 500-600 licences issued every year. But Hemanth DP, the chief executive officer of Asia Pacific Flight Training Academy, Hyderabad, said that the record number of CPLs granted in 2022 only reflects the backlog from the pandemic.

"Pilot requirements for general aviation and flight training are rapidly expanding too. At our average of 800 a year, we will only produce 8,000 pilots in the next decade. That’s not enough,” Hemanth said.

Strict DGCA norms

Another major issue pointed out by aviation experts is that the DGCA has very strict norms when it comes to Indian pilots with foreign CPLs operating in India.

"The DGCA does not take into account the hours of flying Indian pilots have done with foreign carriers when they return to India and try to get jobs in the country," Ranganathan said.

He added that this stymies Indian-origin pilots’ plans to return to the country and that the DGCA should look to address these issues immediately.

"DGCA should go by ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) Annex 1 and reissue Indian ATPL (airline transport pilot licence, a higher level of certification than a CPL) based on valid foreign licences held by Indians," Ranganathan said.

Lumba too said that pilots with basic qualifications with type ratings that are required for entry-level flight operations are struggling to find jobs in the country.

The first senior pilot operating in India quoted earlier said that many Indian pilots who have been issued CPLs are still without jobs. “Thousands of CPL holders are still unemployed in India as they are waiting to qualify as a co-pilot," the pilot said, adding that a CPL holder needs to train for another 250 hours in simulators and training aircraft to be certified to fly in India.

Erosion of the talent pool 

Indian airlines are also facing a shortage of pilots as many of them look to foreign carriers given better perks and pay cheques. "Indian airlines tend to underpay local talent when compared to foreign pilots," Ranganathan said.

He added that foreign pilots hired by Indian carriers are typically paid nearly two to three times more than their Indian counterparts, which too leads to them looking for jobs elsewhere.

The first senior pilot quoted above also pointed out that salary negotiations between Indian pilots’ unions and airlines have been stalled for the last few years, adding that most pilots are unhappy with their current salaries and are looking at moving abroad.

"The likes of Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Air Arabia and the new airline in Riyadh are all looking at India to hire talent, and are paying higher salaries when compared to Indian airlines," the pilot said.