Industry
Foreign pilots might get to ride India's aviation boom for another year
Summary
- Amid a persistent shortage of experienced commanders, India plans to extend the tenure of foreign pilots to cater to the demands of the country's fast-expanding aviation industry
NEW DELHI : An old niggle has resurfaced in India's burgeoning aviation sector —a dearth of senior pilots.
The civil aviation ministry, while continuing to root for more Indian pilots, is now likely to extend the deadline for senior foreign pilots operating in India by a year, two people aware of the development told Mint.
The decision to extend the current deadline of December 2024 is part of an annual procedural review, and takes into account the industry's requirements as it rapidly expands.
“There has been a clear policy to encourage more hiring of Indian pilots and there is no shortage of co-pilots in India," said one of the two people. “However, requirements will increase as airlines expand globally and certain categories such as small aircraft and helicopters require such an extension for commanders."
Both these persons declined to be identified.
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India currently has about 10,000 pilots, and yet despite this seemingly large number, the country faces a shortfall and will need about 1,000 additional pilots annually over the next five years, as per industry experts. Currently, the country only produces about half of this number each year.
This shortage is particularly acute for commanders of small aircraft and helicopters. Experts anticipate that, with the industry's growth, the demand for expatriate commanders and trainers, especially in operations involving narrow-body and wide-body aircraft, will significantly increase.
Most foreign pilots are employed to pilot small aircraft such as the ATR-72, Embraer E145, and general aviation aircraft like the Bombardier Global 7500, Dassault Falcon 7X, Gulfstream G550, and helicopters such as the Eurocopter AS350 and Bell 206. These senior foreign pilots are also crucial in training fresh recruits to become commanders.
This need becomes more urgent as carriers that are part of the Air India Group, IndiGo, and Akasa prepare for significant fleet expansions, with plans to induct over 1,600 aircraft over this decade and beyond.
Currently, Indian airlines have a fleet exceeding 750 aircraft, of which at least 160 are grounded. Despite a move towards hiring more Indian pilots, the need for experienced expatriate senior pilots remains critical to fulfill operational requirements.
According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), foreign pilots are granted Foreign Aircrew Temporary Authorization (FATA) licences, essential under current regulations that prevent foreign pilots from operating beyond December.
Pilot hiring trends
During the early 2000s, the rise of carriers like IndiGo, SpiceJet, and the expansion of Jet Airways and Air India led to a surge in the hiring of foreign pilots, due to a domestic shortage of trained commanders for commercial narrow-body and wide-body aircraft.
In 2007, there were 804 foreign pilots in India, with significant numbers at major airlines such as Jet Airways and Air India. From 139 expat pilots in 2016, the number soared to 892 in 2019, coinciding with a 44.3% rise in domestic air traffic to 144.1 million passengers.
However, this figure plummeted to just 67 in 2023 due to the global aviation disruptions caused by the pandemic, with many pilots returning to their homeland or accepting lucrative offers in West Asia.
“The drastic reduction since 2019 was also on account of the onset of covid pandemic as pilots returned to their homeland or then got hired with lucrative packages in the Middle East," an airline executive said, on condition of anonymity. “As Indian airlines expand and with the consistent growth in air travel demand in India, there is a strong possibility of an uptick in the expat commanders going ahead."
Industry experts argue that completely phasing out FATA may be unrealistic given the ongoing pilot shortages and fleet expansions.
“FATA will get extended on application by airlines. It is given to only captains, not co-pilots. As airlines keep getting airplanes, captain shortage will always exist and so will FATA for both large and small airlines," said Shakti Lumba, former head of operations at IndiGo and Alliance Air.
