A-I to train pilot recruits abroad

New Delhi: Air-India is in the process of recruiting 100 fresh science graduates this year ~ the process would continue for seven consecutive years ~ to meet the pilot shortage it would face when 68 brand new Boeing aircraft are inducted by 2011 in a phased manner.
A-I would spend over 140 crore ~ Rs 20 lakh per candidate ~ to send these recruits for courses at four premier flying schools based in the US and two European nations. “After successful completion of the flying course, these qualified pilots would have to sign a bond for 10 years failing which Air India would recover all the dues from them…” the executive director of Air-India, Mr S Venkat, told The Statesman.
According to Mr Venkat, Air-India has conducted a written examination across the country and the selection process would be completed in a month or two. The 100 selected candidates would be send abroad for training from July. Such an initiative has not come from private airlines, who prefer to hire foreign pilots who generally demand at least Rs 3 to 5 lakh per month, double what Indian pilots are paid.
The government is also planning to set up a National Flying Training Institute at Gondia, Maharashtra. But till now, only a token provision of Rs 100 crore has been made in 2005-06. A detailed project report is being drafted.
The total number of additional aircraft for private and national carriers in the next five years is estimated at 500 for which an additional 5,000 pilots would be required. “Currently, 2,940 pilots are employed as against the requirement of 3,160 pilots, leaving a shortfall of around seven per cent. Within the next five years the industry will need 4,500 more,” said an A-I official.
As of now, A-I faces a shortfall of 118 pilots. Other carriers in India also do not have enough pilots. There are more than 25 flying clubs in India, but only one pilot training academy of international standard, Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Academy in Rae Bareli. It churns out about 40 commercial pilot licence holders every year.
25/04/07 Sanjay Singh/The Statesman