Industry slump grounds career of trainee pilots

New Delhi: As airlines cut back on expansion plans and battle lower occupancy and rising costs, the roughly 1,500 trainee pilots awaiting jobs opportunities in India have virtually been grounded.
Pilots were in great demand just a year ago and a trained one could easily fetch a starting monthly package of Rs 2.5 lakh onwards with some additional perks. However, rising fuel prices have changed the entire scenario. To fight the slump, the aviation industry is cutting costs with a vengeance. It has virtually stopped fresh appointments to control its wage bill, which is the second highest operating cost after fuel.
Airlines are delaying new aircraft deliveries and postponing induction plans, which has further hit job prospects. Though airlines have not retrenched their pilots, they are shelving recruitment. Result: very few pilots have been hired in the last six months.
“Airlines have delayed delivery of 50-60 new aircraft this year. This fleet would have absorbed around 1,000 additional pilots, but the looming bleak scenario in the industry may not help these fresh pilots get job offers…,” said a senior executive of Kingfisher Airlines.
Shortage of skilled crew had resulted in a steep rise in the salaries of pilots as growth in the aviation industry took off in the past four years (between 2003 to 2007). A pilot’s salary varied from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 8 lakh depending on the experience. Demand exceeded supply till last year and every fresher was recruited by the new airlines.
As the demand for pilots dips, training academies are also feeling the impact. It costs approximately Rs 16 to Rs 25 lakh to churn out a fresh pilot with a mandatory flying experience of 200-hours and an additional 25-hours of multi-engine rating.
17/07/08 Chanchal Pal Chauhan/Economic Times