Airlines hire expat pilots to fly smaller aircraft

New Delhi: Indian pilots’ penchant for flying bigger aircraft and their disinclination to sit in cockpits of smaller aircraft, such as ATRs (40-70 seats), may force some airlines to rejig the delivery schedules for smaller aircraft into their fleet.
To tide over the issue, airlines are being forced to hire expat pilots to keep their ATR flying. Already around 80% of all ATRs in the country are being flown by expat pilots. For instance, Kingfisher’s ATR fleet of 12 aircraft is managed by 60-odd expat pilots. In case of Air Deccan, which has 23 aircraft, over 50% of ATR pilots are of foreign-origin.
To overcome the shortage, airlines are also seeking relaxation of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) norms for pilots to fly different types of ATR aircraft. As per current regulations, pilots trained on ATR-42 must clock at least 100 hours of flying time in the co-pilot’s seat in an ATR-72 before they qualify as an captain.
With airlines such as Kingfisher and Deccan set to take delivery of 20-odd ATRs over the next 12 months, the problem may become acute.
In a recent meeting with DGCA officials, senior executives from ATR have suggested changes in Indian regulations, namely doing away with the 100-hour flying requirement. They have also proposed that Indian and French aviation regulators should work together over the issue.
Foreign pilots too have been complaining of non-standard visa procedures in the country, which essentially depend on the origin country of the pilot.
28/09/07 Sudipto Dey/Economic Times