2010 deadline for expat pilots to leave

New Delhi: With growing instances of Indian students not getting jobs even after spending lakhs on commercial pilot licences (CPL), the government has turned ‘swadeshi’ to save their interests. The aviation ministry has laid down that an Indian carrier can use a foreign pilot “up to a time limit of four years or July 31, 2010, whichever is earlier.”
What’s more, giving an extension to a foreign pilot for continued employment with an Indian carrier beyond this period has also been made tougher as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will have to refer any such case to the ministry.
“While sending proposals for continued utilization of foreign pilots, airlines should justify their demand for new aircraft can’t be fulfilled from the present Indian market despite their efforts in recruiting and training of Indian pilots,” DGCA’s deputy DG A K Sharan has conveyed to all airlines.
The government started cracking on airlines’ policy of hiring expat pilots even as Indian CPL holders find it hard to get a break in the loss-ridden airline industry.
Moreover, Indian pilots employed with airlines also started complaining their promotion avenues were suffering as airlines found it cheaper to hire foreign senior pilots due to a weak Rupee.
Of the 5,500-odd pilots operating with Indian carriers, nearly 1,000 are expats.
28/05/08 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India