AI seeks more time to remove expat pilots

Mumbai: Air India has written to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that it would not be able to meet the deadline of July 2011 to phase out its expatriate pilots as it needs them to fly the new aircraft the ailing airline is acquiring.
It was only last month that the DGCA agreed to extend the deadline for the phasing out of expatriate pilots from June 2010 to July 2011. Air India said it was seeking an extension because it was expecting delivery of its Boeing 787s in 2011. “The delivery schedule of B787s will have an impact on requirement of pilots including expatriate pilots, which is being evaluated,” said an Air India spokesperson.
“In view of fleet expansion and shortage of type rated pilots, the company is not able to phase out all the expatriate pilots and has therefore requested DGCA for extension of deadline,” he said.The airline has placed orders for 27 B-787s which are expected in 2011.
Over the last three years, Indian pilots associations have been lobbying for the phasing out of foreign pilots. The bone of contention is that foreign pilots typically earn 15-20 per cent more than their Indian counterparts. Also, presence of expatriate pilots in commander positions reduces career progression for Indian pilots. For a pilot who has been flying a B-737 for a few years, a career progression would be learning to fly a B-777.
18/05/10 Ranjani Raghavan/Indian Express