India backs down on foreign pilots bar
New Delhi/Singapore/Manila: India’s aviation authorities have backed down from removing foreign pilots from the country’s commercial airlines for another year as demand for air travel recovers and local private carriers once again look to expand.
While India has about 3,000 novice pilots awaiting jobs with commercial airlines, India’s domestic supply of veteran pilots – who have enough experience to serve as captains on flights – is insufficient for the rapidly growing aviation sector.
India’s dependence on experienced foreign pilots reflects the problems facing many other Asian carriers, which are facing intensifying competition as airlines ramp up capacity in response to soaring economic growth and demand for air travel.
After waves of pilot layoffs during the global economic downturn, regional air travel has bounced back and “there are many airlines that are hiring aggressivelyâ€, says one airline official.
Indian airlines look set for the biggest problem as they grapple with growing pains exacerbated by fits of economic nationalism that has prompted politicians to declare that Indian skies should belong to Indian pilots as soon as possible.
India’s commercial fleet has grown from 100 aircraft flying for two airlines in the early 1990s to nearly 400 aircraft flying for 10 airlines today. While the global crisis brought a brief pause to the pace of expansion, SpiceJet, a low-cost carrier, has ordered 30 new Boeing aircraft for $2.7bn from 2014, and rival Indigo hopes to order 150 new aircraft for itself.
23/08/10 Amy Kazmin/Kevin Brown/Roel Landingin/Financial Times