Govt tells airlines not to hire foreign co-pilots

New Delhi: The government has asked domestic carriers not to hire foreign co-pilots as there is already a glut of Indian co-pilots, with airlines getting anywhere between 20 to 40 applications for each position.
In a meeting with airlines, the aviation ministry said it could understand that India still has a shortage of trained commanders/captains and airlines may have to hire expats. But as far as co-pilots go, airlines need to select desi ones.
At present, India has 944 foreign pilots – 810 commanders and 134 co-pilots.
Hiring a fresh Indian co-pilot means that airlines have to first get a type rating for the aircraft they will have to operate. This means sending commercial pilot licence holders abroad for training on simulator of planes like an A-320 or Boeing 737, something that takes a few months and costs anywhere up to Rs 7 lakh.
A fresh CPL holder can join an airline as co-pilot and then get type-rating (training to fly a certain aircraft). Once a type-rated pilot flies for between 1,500 and 2,500 hours, he or she becomes a commander/captain. At each level, the salary jumps from – Rs 60,000-80,000; Rs 1-1.5 lakh and Rs 2-2.5 lakh.
05/03/08 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India