Lack of infrastructure affects pilot training: Experts

Over the next 10 years more than 400 planes will be delivered to airline companies in India. Each plane will need more than 10 pilots and 20 engineers necessitating, as much as 4000 pilots and 8000 engineers.

The aviation industry has been going through an unprecedented boom, as more and more players are entering the markets. The lack of infrastructure is hampering the country to produce enough pilots to fulfil the needs of the upcoming airline companies.

This shortage is compelling them to hire foreign pilots, as they are hired for about $13000 to $14000 per month as against the $8000 to $9000 per month for domestic pilots, which is increasing their operating costs. As there is lot of competition in the airline industry, many airlines are operating for a few years in the loss.

India will need at least five to seven years to meet their domestic pilot’s requirement, said Capt Desmond Rodriguez, CEO, Kompass Aviation.

Due to open sky policy lots of airlines have come up in the last few years, many players including industrial houses are also in this fray.

“The way the aviation boom started was too fast for the other sectors to catch up along with it, lack of infrastructure and proper planning is hampering the smooth flow of new talents in the airline sector”, said Rizwan Kadri, chairman of Indian Aviation Academy, to Employment & NRI Times.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) syllabus of commercial pilot’s licence paper is also tough, as students have to study from different book. There must be one common book, so that students can study easily.

According to DGCA norms, 200 hours of flying is required to qualify for pilots. Students from the science background can go for pilot training. As the students who are from the commerce or arts field cannot do the training, he has to go for foreign flying schools, which is cost prohibitive.

After getting the licence form the foreign country, the student has to clear the conversion papers, which can go for months and if he or she has taken a loan, it causes some concern.

In the developed countries, such as the UK, US, Canada or Australia anyone who clears the exam and flying hours can become a pilot.

“As the aviation industry started growing, the infra projects which helps to roll out new pilots started coming down, hampering training new pilots,” said Wing commander Ahluwalia, Institute of Aviation and Aviation Safety, adding government has to take drastic steps to fill the supply gap in new domestic pilots.

Many flying club have been closed in the last few years and the flying instructors have joined the airlines. As no flying clubs are operating students are going to other countries to get the commercial pilot licence (CPL). They don’t return as they get employed in the foreign airlines.

Melissa Diamond, director international of Sydney Flight Training centre said Indian students need to take the better decision which flying institute will give them training needed to become commercial pilots, they should not miss this opportunity in the aviation markets”

All is needed is to make the training environment-friendly. DGCA has amended rules in August last to make it compulsory for a student to fly 50 hours before taking the CPL ground test. One does not understand the reason behind this. There is no point in undergoing expensive flight training before passing the CPL papers. If a student does not pass after completing 50 hours of flying, the entire expense is a waste. It is a waste, as thousands of rupees are spend for one hour of flying.

There are many other companies which need pilots, apart from low cost airlines include charter operators, helicopter operators and business jets service providers.

We need more than five years to cop up with the current trends, said Raj Shetty, Chairman of Kompass Aviation.

Even the World bodies have said that 21st century is for the Asian countries.