IAF hopes for better pay packets to tackle pilot shortage

Bangalore: The Indian Air Force is hoping for higher pay packages to overcome the shortage of around 300 pilots in its ranks.
“There is a slight shortage, between 250 and 300, of pilots in the force but the situation is not alarming,” Air Chief Marshal F.G. Major said here Thursday.
Better pay packages for pilots will help attract talent and overcome the shortage, he told reporters on the sidelines of the International Flight Test Seminar organized by the Aircraft and System Testing Establishment (ASTE) here. “We hope the Sixth Pay Commission will give a boost in this regard,” Major said.
The Air Force has also introduced a short-term service of 14 years for pilots as part of the plan to overcome the shortage, he said.
This will also help the growing civil aviation sector as there will be a pool of trained pilots discharged from the Air Force after the short term service, Major said.
14/02/08 IANS/Indian Muslims, US