Indian Carriers Grapple with Shortage of Pilots

India Arun Sivasankaran - : May 1, 2024 - : 3:06 am

With appetite for domestic and international air travel spiking in India, the country’s aviation industry seems set for unlimited growth.

There is, however, a major hitch. There are not enough pilots.

According to CAPA, India would need at least 10,900 additional pilots by 2030 to handle the expected doubling of the fleet size of its various commercial airlines. The total fleet size is expected to grow from 684 in 2023 to 1400 by 2029-30.

The country’s commercial aviation sector currently employs 8,500 pilots, and the need by end of the decade would be for 19,400 pilots. The country would need an average of 1,600 new pilots per year to handle the additional load, but supply has not kept pace with demand. In 2023, the country’s regulatory agency issued 1272 commercial pilot licenses.

Anticipating the shortage, carriers such as IndiGo, Air India and Akasa Air have taken steps to get trainee pilots quicker through the pipeline. Much of the demand will have to be met by local talent, as shortage of qualified pilots is not limited to India or the Asia Pacific.

Globally, airlines will have to deal with a shortfall of about 60,000 pilots by 2029, according to an Oliver Wyman report. While expanding fleets in Middle East and Asia is the major reason for the expected shortage, the problem is compounded by the high number of pilots in North America that are about to retire.

India is expected to spend about 980 billion rupees (US$12 billion) over the next few years on airports, in view of the expected growth of the sector. The plan is to increase the number of airports from 148 in 2023 to about 220 before 2026. The infrastructure development project will be jointly funded by Airports Authority of India and private companies.

air-india / indigo / pilots-shortage / asia-pacific / akasa-air / india /

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