In response to a query in the Rajya Sabha, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Gen. (Dr) V. K. Singh (Retd), confirmed that there is currently no shortage of pilots in India. The statement clarified that there is a shortage of Commanders for specific types of aircraft. To address this gap, the government has been utilizing foreign pilots through the Foreign Aircrew Temporary Authorization (FATA).
Air India & IndiGo have placed orders for purchasing new aircraft in the last one year. Air India has made an order of 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing whereas IndiGo has made a single order of 500 Airbus A320 family aircraft. Air India’s order book consists of; 210 Airbus A320/321 Neos, 40 Airbus A350, 190 Boeing B737 MAX, 20 Boeing B787 Dreamliners, and 10 Boeing B777X aircraft.
To supply sufficient Pilots for the demand, the Government of India has taken several steps to establish more flying schools across the country and to increase the number of trained commercial pilots.
2021 onwards, after a competitive bidding process, AAI has awarded 15 FTO slots at 10 airports of which 5 are operational. Among these FTOs, Helicopter training is being imparted at Khajuraho.
Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA) at Amethi has been permitted to carry out pilot training at Gondia (Maharashtra) and Kalaburagi (Karnataka) to enhance its flying hours and aircraft utilization. Currently, there are 34 Flying Training Organizations (FTOs) in the country operating at 55 bases which are imparting flying training to cadets.
During the current year 2023 (till November), a total of 1491 Commercial Pilot Licenses( CPLs) have been issued so far. The trend indicates a substantial increase in the number of CPLs issued in comparison to previous years.
India’s aviation industry is the fastest-growing in the world, according to the International Air Transport Association. The country’s aviation industry has grown significantly in the last nine years, with the number of operational airports doubling from 74 in 2014 to 148 in April 2023.
After ferrying 100 million passengers in 2023, India’s largest airline IndiGo has joined a select group of carriers globally. Only a handful of airlines in the world have carried over 100 million passengers in a calendar year, and IndiGo is the first Indian airline to do so.
PIB
