Aviation industry not doing enough to set up training facilities

05 September 2007

Though the civil aviation industry has created large numbers of high salary jobs, stakeholders within the industry are not doing enough to address their problems of human resources requirements, say experts.

Except a handful of private educational entrepreneurs, many of them possibly fly-by-night types, airlines and their related industry bodies are simply not doing enough to train the people they so badly need. Most of them opt for the easy exit — poach from the competition or hire from abroad.

Civil aviation authorities say that public sector and private airlines in the country need to acquire over 800 new aircraft over the next five to 10 years, in addition to their existing fleets. It is estimated that India will need 40,000 cabin crew in the next 10 years for fresh employment and replacement.

Apart from hostesses and stewards, Indian airlines badly need commercial pilots. New airlines have hired foreign pilots from East Europe and West Asia, but how long can they continue like this? The new airlines need to create training institutions like Air India and Indian Airlines did in the past, say retired aviation industry officials.

The dearth of qualified commercial pilots is already staring in the face of the airlines, and with fleet expansion, this problem can acquire serious dimensions. All agree that training and recruiting Indian citizens is better than bringing in foreigners who can barely speak English.

But this cannot happen overnight. A minimum number of flying hours is required for a commercial pilot's licence. Then new recruits need to fly a number of hours as co-pilots and do a minimum number of landings and take offs, to qualify as commanders. It is because airlines have not trained adequate hands that they are hiring from abroad, says a senior commander who has trained and retrained in at least three different types of aircraft. (See: Fast-track pilot training programme rings alarm bells)