Aviation India: Careers

New Delhi: Pilot shortage and the lucrative pay packet are attracting people from myriad backgrounds to fly commercial aircraft. And it’s not just air force and naval officers who are ready to make a career switch but also dentists, architects, software engineers, flight pursers et al who are looking at flying as a new career.
According to industry experts, the average age of such professionals joining a flying school is 35 years. Sample this. SpiceJet has a former truck driver from Canada flying one of its planes. Another one is a former chartered accountant.
Jet Airways recently recruited a ground staff engineer who took pilot training and is a full time pilot on its rolls now. Air India, on the other hand, has a flight purser who now doesn’t serve food but is inside the cockpit flying the aircraft.
Similarly the common man’s airline Air Deccan has BPO executives flying its aircraft. It also had an ex merchant navy professional as its pilot who later joined some other airline.
According to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) Indian aviation industry needs 500 pilots each year whereas only 200 pilots are churned out every year by flying schools.
Starting salary of a co-pilot is around Rs 1 lakh per month. And for a captain it can go up to Rs 5 lakh per month.
The average duration of a pilot training course in India is around two years. Whereas those who go overseas can complete their training in 6 to 12 months.
25/02/07 Vishakha Talreja/Economic Times