Aviation: Grounded by manpower shortage

There has has been a phenomenal growth in the civil aviation sector. Three years ago, there were 130 commercial aircraft, and the number has now swelled to 350. Increased fleet will enable approximately 2,000 commercial flights every day by 2020.
The sector’s primary concern is finding manpower, especially pilots. Currently, the shortage of pilots has led to the recruitment of foreign pilots. Though there are a few pilot-training institutions in the country, they are not able to meet the demand, and many aspiring pilots go abroad for training, which is very expensive.
The shortage may touch 2,000 by 2010. The Civil Aviation Minister, Praful Patel, wants to set up a national flying school in his constituency at Gondia, Maharashtra. Some, however, fear that the additional training facilities being set up may create a glut of pilots.
Cabin crew training has also gained significance, and many training institutes have mushroomed. Recently, a Pune-based institute arranged for practical hands-on training for its students with the Airports Authority of India. However, the demand will continue to grow, as even the no-frills airlines need cabin crew for ensuring safety.
One area of concern as far as aviation manpower is concerned is finding technical ground staff. Only a few institutions offer programmes in aeronautical engineering. The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, awards post-graduate degrees; the Aeronautical Society of India conducts examinations for students enrolled for its distance-learning programme. Though considered equivalent to an aeronautical engineering degree, this programme, which is very useful for working professionals, has not been too successful.
The existing facilities for training aeronautical engineers are far from adequate and the situation is only likely to worsen in the future.
Aviation management is a course that is gaining importance now. All tasks to be performed in the air require quick reaction time and reflexes. It is therefore important that the air crew should be young. Second, optimum output should be obtained from the aircraft.
22/11/07 H. Kaushal/Business Line/Sify