DGCA move could help 3,000 unemployed Indian pilots to get job

New Delhi: In a move that could help some of the estimated 3,000 unemployed Indian pilots to find jobs, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has sternly warned Indian carriers to retire expats flying their aircraft by June or face the risk of their operations being curtailed.
An aviation boom led to the launch of several new carriers in the middle of the decade amid a shortage of local pilots, forcing the newcomers to recruit foreigners to fly their planes. The same boom also encouraged several young Indian students to train for a pilot’s career before the slump in aviation last year led airlines to reduce capacity and sack staff, grounding several fliers.
To convey the seriousness of its warning, DGCA has called a meeting of all the airline chief executive officers on Friday in the capital.
Beyond June, airlines would need to justify having expat pilots on board. There are around 500 expat pilots employed at Indian carriers, said a DGCA official, who too asked not to be named. With about eight months left to meet the deadline, airlines will have to make sure they have enough Indian pilots who are qualified to move to the commander’s seat from being a co-pilot.
When an Indian pilot is upgraded to the commander’s seat, it will allow an unemployed pilot on the ground to take over the co-pilot’s vacant position, he added.
11/11/09 Tarun Shukla/Live Mint