Pilot courses in US work out cheaper than in India

New Delhi: Even while 37 applications for setting up flying academies are pending for government clearance, the inexpensive fees of commercial pilot training courses in the US, South-east Asia and Australia, compared to India, are forcing aspiring pilots to go abroad.
While the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uraan Academy (IGRUA) — an autonomous flying institute under the central government — charges around Rs 19 lakh for its training course for a commercial pilot licence, a flying institute in the US charges around Rs 16 lakh for the same course.
What is more, the training period in the US academies is six months, while it can take up to two and a half years in India.
Even South-east Asia works out cheaper than India. Malaysian flying academies offer courses that take about a year but cost between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 12 lakh. The Philippines, which is one of the cheapest countries in the world for getting a pilot’s licence, charges Rs 9-10 lakh.
Australia offers a range of academies giving training for Rs 16-18 lakh.
While there are 42 training institutes in the country, of which only 25 are operational (14 are state-operated and 11 are run by private entrepreneurs), they have the capacity to churn out 300- 400 pilots annually, leaving a yawning gap of 600-700 pilots.
The private flying schools in India charge about Rs 16 lakh, which is at par with what is charged in the US.
But most of them do not offer multi-engine aircraft training, unlike in foreign academies. This training is necessary to get entry into any premier airline company in the country or the globe.
State-owned flying institutes charge a little lower, in the range of Rs 10 lakh.
29/09/07 Anirban Chowdhury/Business Standard