Students smile as demand for domestic pilots rises

Airline operators are making a beeline for Indian aviation academies. This follows the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA’s) programme to phase out expatriate pilots working with Indian airline operators, giving rise to the demand for domestic pilots. Most airline operators have till July 31 to phase out expats from the cockpits.
The stagnation of the Indian airline industry in 2004-05 had prompted the need for foreign pilots. Expat pilots, estimated to comprise around 10 per cent of the estimated total 4,800 pilots in the country, are currently employed by major Indian scheduled operators such as Air India, Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines and SpiceJet.
The starting salary of students placed with this domestic carrier averaged Rs 1.25 lakh per month, according to Raminder Mamick Ghosh, Head -Business Planning & Control, Chimes Group, which runs the Chimes Aviation Academy. The fees involved for training as a commercial pilot are also high. “The average fees for an 18 month course is Rs 20-25 lakhs, so its pretty steep,” says a former aviation student who did not wish to be named. A number of good academies have opened up since. “The number of academies who have received their license to operate are currently around 35 in number, of which not more than 11-12 with good infrastructural facilities must be operational,” says Ghosh.
“.. I had gone to California for my training three years ago, because the training period was lesser and the infrastructure was better. But, I was unable to find a job when I came back. Now, prospects are opening up again,” said a former student, who has been unable to find employment in India and is currently working in the hospitality industry.
Keeping in line with the new norms, Jet Airways is planning to hire more Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) holders having rating on the type of aircraft operated by them. However, Kingfisher Airlines has no plans to increase hiring for this year.
07/06/10 Sneha Kupekar/Business Standard/Sify