Skift Take
While the aviation ministry confirms that there are no shortages of pilots in the country, the recent incidents of pilot casualties, including the tragic crashes and fatalities, call for better safety measures.
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While there is no shortage of pilots in the country, there is a lack of commanders for specific aircraft types, the ministry of civil aviation has said. To address this, foreign pilots are being utilized through Foreign Aircrew Temporary Authorization (FATA).
The government said that it has also taken several steps to establish more flying schools across the country to train greater number of commercial pilots.
Currently, there are 34 Flying Training Organizations (FTOs) in the country operating at 55 bases, providing flying training to cadets. In the current year (2023 till November), a total of 1491 Commercial Pilot Licenses (CPLs) have been issued, indicating a substantial increase compared to previous years.
Pilots deaths: The question of a pilot shortage comes after several pilot deaths, many of which have been attributed to fatigue and stress. In early 2023, a 37-year-old Air India pilot died in the airline's Gurugram office after suffering a cardiac arrest.
In August of this year, an IndiGo pilot collapsed and died before his flight last week. News agency Reuters had reported that this pushed India's air safety watchdog to review pilot fatigue data to see if any policy changes are required. Post the incidents, there were complaints from some Indian pilots that they are being stretched to the brink by airlines, even thoug