They scour the globe for captains, commanders

New Delhi: India”s rapidly growing airline industry — already plagued by decaying infrastructure, frequent delays and financial losses — is now facing a pilot shortage.
The domestic airline industry”s 47 percent growth rate has led the country”s dozen-odd carriers, many of which are less than five years old, to scour the globe for qualified captains or commanders.
Going abroad to find pilots is relatively new; when the scramble for pilots began two years ago, airlines would just poach each others” staffs. The practice continued until the beginning of this year, when the major Indian carriers agreed to a no-poaching pact.
But the hiring spree is not expected to slow any time soon. Currently, there are 3,000 pilots in India — about 600 of whom are foreigners — and almost all are captains with thousands of hours of flying experience.
They can take home between $120,000 and $160,000 a year, with overtime.
The pilot shortage is not unique to India; pilots are in high demand in Japan, the United States and the Middle East. In India, though, the problem is part of a larger skilled-worker shortage in the country”s flourishing economy.
To better prepare themselves for a continued dearth of pilots, airlines are sending promising cadets for training in the United States.
Still, most experts say four or five years will pass before the large numbers of foreign pilots can be pared down and Indian first officers will be able to take over most captain”s seats.
13/12/07 Daniel Pepper/Washington Times, US