Wannabe pilots now working in call centres
Bangalore: Lured by the prospect of landing a highly remunerative and glamorous job as a pilot when the domestic aviation industry in India was on a roll, Abhishek decided to pursue a course for a pilot’s licence.
He joined a flying school in South Africa after raising a bank loan. After having finished the course, he could not get a job with as the recession-hit airline industry has frozen recruitment of pilots. Abhishek has now joined a call centre in Bangalore. With a salary nowhere near that of a pilot, he has no idea how he will repay his loan.
Similar is the case of Mohammed Waseem, who took a loan of Rs. 25 lakh for a flying course in South Africa. He too has joined a call centre here.
Abhishek and Waseem are among scores of qualified commercial pilots in the country who are yet to find a berth in the aviation industry.
04/05/12 Nagarjun Dwarakanath/The Hindu
There are about 5000 of us like this, while the airliners still employ 500 expats, though all of those expats are capts, we gotto upgrade the First Officers so that space can be made for us unemployed.
I also faced the same situation. worked in an call center at Chennai.Now I got placed in a corporate aviation to fly business turboprop. Hope for the best. good luck..
now thats what i called news , you should be posting the reality as it is not as it willl be , now also do a favour for me . plz do post the news of 5 to 7 thousand unemployed ames coming out every year , spending 3 to 5 lakhs just to land a job in call center . plz do care about us ,thank u .
With around 4500 jobless CPL holders in this country with the count going up daily and the aviation industry in the doldrums, for most getting into the right hand seat of an airliner will remain a piped dream. Many will fall by the wayside simply due to age, license renewal costs and interest on loans.
And who do we blame? The system, Govt, DGCA, airlines or the individuals themselves? Its a very sad and sorry state of affairs for the newbies.
K.J.Patel
Expats are needed to an extent my friends . Many of the expats hired by the airlines are examiners instructors . These pilots train other pilots and help make the process faster for converting first officers to commanders . Also to hire and pay salaries to an expat costs the airlines a lot more money than for an Indian commander with same kind of experience . So the airlines also want to get rid of them as soon as possible . The jobs will come some day but have to be patient because I personally know of pilots who have waited for 6 years to get a job after their cpl in the 1990s as there were very few jobs . The scene is much better now as there are lot of airlines . Just wait please keep studying and keeping ur license current cost only 10 k a year if done in the right way 🙂
Best of luck
Mr. Nikhil, how to keep license current cost down to 10k/ year?
all those who want to make career in aviation beware its ok to watch & fantasise about aircraft but its not that easy to make career in aviation…as iam the best example i have completed my aircraft maintenance engg course & have one year experience from kingfisher airlines (which is in crisis now) wid all my bamecs cleared but still iam at home since from last one year & i dont think dat it is going to change in near future…dont u ever believe in false promises of AME TRAINING SCHOOLS which ruin ur lives for ever…iam one among those lakhs who are suffering…
Same question to Nikhil, i wanted to know that how to keep an IR current with 10k/year? thanks for the suggestion dear..
Jaikanth Rajaram, Please let me know how to get into corporate/private jets??
waiting for ur reply…thank u..
Coming june am going to join in pilot , i dono its good or bad path to me so pls tel, i can shine after i get cpl licence………
if i study in india or abroad , which i will get job soon pls…………………… reply . for this am going to disct my BE(ece) 2nd yr
@saravana kumar, get a degree first. cpl doesn’t take long(8 months or so) ,but degree does(3 years). i learnt it the hard way. working as a instructor for now and trust me its kind of not so fun. get a degree my friend before getting into aviation.
Mr. Sarvana kumar, If you join now to become a pilot without any airline cadet programme then this might be a very difficult situation for you after you complete your course. There are cadet programmes for Indians by Indigo and cathay Pacific. These are the only two options you have now.
Leaving your B.E. will be the fool-est thing you will do.
You should complete your BE and in the mean time wait for any cadet programmes to come up. Indigo programmes are already there.
@Saravana
i had similar plans to join pilot training…….and talked to many people in airlines and…….. met a lot of unemployed pilots. I found that many unemployed pilots also thought that they will shine after they complete course. Some thought that situation will get better. But see how many people spent from 25 to 50 lacs and very very few people will ever recover their money. people tell me that only 5 per cent people who do pilot course get job. looking at this i dropped my plans….i don’t want to put my parents in pressure.
Finally a news article which shows the ground reality.
Another problem is that even if you somehow manage to get a job with an airline you have to pay another 15-20 lakhs for your type rating. These days all airlines expect you to pay for type rating from your own pocket.
saravana kumar @ havent you read all of above comment ,why do you want to chose the path of hell . ofcourse u can do so if your parents are rich and you have money to waste , go ahead if that is the case .
I just don’t want to believe these facts! even if the 500 expats are fired, it wouldn’t do any good to the 5000 unemployed. God damn it, Just tell me will I get unemployed if I become the All India topper in DGCA exams, and A320 type-rated pilot liscence from CAE, Gondia?!
even i wanted to be a pilot but i cant take such a big risk now.i a have completed with my hsc but now i wish to pursue my career in aviation field other than pilot .can any one help me which course to study to work in an airlines or an airport and what is the salary range.plz help i am in a very deep confusion
haha. Ok do that and face the consequences. Go talk to people who are already in aviation. The only people who will tell you to get a CPL are the ones working in flight schools. This is because they want your money. It is their business.
Everyone else will tell you to save your money and invest it somewhere you can get proper returns. There are so many intelligent people i know about who have CPL and type-rating but are sitting at home unemployed since 3-4 years. Sad.
i complte ame course from lucknow.and dont get anyjob in aviation fieldall those who want to make career in aviation beware its ok to watch & fantasise about aircraft but its not that easy to make career in aviation…as iam the best example i have completed my aircraft maintenance engg course & have one year experience from swarswati aviation academy sultanpur,up (which is in crisis now) wid all my bamecs cleared but still iam at home since from last one year & i dont think dat it is going to change in near future…dont u ever believe in false promises of AME TRAINING SCHOOLS which ruin ur lives for eve
For now i suggest nobody to take up aviatuon as career whatever the course it is whether its CPL or AME…When it comes to ground situation all are same i.e jobless…very few with good recomendation may be 5-10% can make it work,others lurching in the dark…
i got selected for igrua…first i decide to go with it but in meantime got selection for asst manager bank of baroda…..plz tell me ur honest views what should i do
@ Chintan . I got their company mail address from DGCA website.
Hi i am ratna. i am doing my btech in chennai after completion of my course i am planing to go US for pilot training. Is it worthful, will I get a job overthere
plz suggest
I’m an Avionics Graduate from Aeronautical Society of India and I’m also working in Call Center because I don’t have any other alternative.
Indian Aviation really sucks.
You guys are pilots and techinical guys, hats off to you to take risk, I have copleated my IATA and working with major travel company. I did my IATA thinking its aviation and travel will always happen. Today after 12 years of experience also its only a hell, cursing the guy who suggested me to get into this. Guys i also will never suggest to get into the aviation/travel business. Railway agents earn more per ticket than a air travel company… can you think about a furture.. of the travel company..
hi iam manmohan.just dont know what the time will be after having a cpl licence.just i want to know which is the best training academy in INDIA for aviation.
I have nfti in my mind..any more suggestions please let me know.
If u wanna join the aviation sector, join airlines like Emirates, Qatar, Singapore Airlines, Etihad & British Airways…..
******ITS DANGER******
M requsting to the students who wants to make their career in aviation that not to choose ur career option , YOU MAY SPOIL YOUR LIFE..
taking addmission is easy but surviving after the complition of the course is tough as there isn’t a much vacancy in aviation and airlines require experienced person as well..
Same here….I started of very well and completed my CPL well within 2 years time, but I am still searching for a job. This is all because of this Indian aviation. The people sitting on top are all bunch of crap. they all want to do politics instead of doing something good to people in India. Any ways hope for the best.
i also had a wish to do CPL
but now i realise that the unemployment in aviation industry
Same is with me, I have taken a loan of Rs. 13 lakhs and completed CPL and now the amount raised to 18 lakhs. Don’t know what to do and how to repay???
Hi,
I do understand that many of you have obtained your CPL but are yet to get a job. I once intended to do pilot training, quit my job but couldn’t afford the training, so dropped my plans. I do understand the job markets. But I know few friend of mine who did manage to get into airlines.
One friend joined Spice jet, another joined Indigo and is now flying international routes( just after 20 months of joining the airline). How do you think these people joined the airlines?
For now i suggest nobody to take up aviatuon as career whatever the course it is whether its CPL or AME…When it comes to ground situation all are same i.e jobless…very few with good recomendation may be 5-10% can make it work,others lurching in the dark…
Hello and sorry for bein late.been out of internet coverage area for a long time.i started my cpl me if rating during 2010 end ,at south africa.people warned me the same way not to do it.no jobs and stuffs .i completed my course 2012.end.still no jobs.everyone tellin me i told u so.still i go hunting .just packed my bags and went to car.am not flyin let410.been 3 months and am lovein everyday of it.moral of the story.do what u want to do.nothing in life worth havein comes easy my friends.
My company is lookin to hire a new guy.may be you guys should try if u dont mind sacrifin everything for little money but lots of multi engine turbin hour
And i am sorry for the typo.i mean i am now flying let410 and part-timein with this bonanza dude.its awesome
No it is not true that every pilot didnt get job in air lines those who are pass out from igrua can get jobs easily because thet are meritious and that is not right
The government or public centre should to train students as pilot depending upon their market value. Or not it is irrating system in this country