World Pilots Day: Work Pressure, Staff Shortage, Costly Training and No Union Rights Rattle Airmen

Delhi : As the aviation enthusiasts celebrate the World Pilots Day (WPD) on April 26, the challenges lying before the aviation industry in the country have come under scrutiny yet again. The past few weeks witnessed how the aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) succumbed to the pressure of airlines by deferring the pilot fatigue norms.

As the matter came up before the Delhi High Court, the aviation watchdog, which is also facing the heat of the judiciary and the pilots and other staff, asked the airlines to inform when they will be ready to implement the newly amended pilot duty rest norms that mostly cater to the issue of 'fatigueness'. This matter is not just related to pilot fatigueness but also to that of the safety of passengers and crew members.

Similarly, the industry also witnessed the protests from the Vistara pilots ahead of its merger with Air India when pilots from the former airlines protested over pay revision and rostering issues.

This led to cancellation and delays into several flights which ultimately impacted the passengers while two unions of Air India extended their support to this strike from the Vistara pilots alleging that pilots were being treated as "bonded labourers" and threatened by the HR with severe consequences. Similarly, the aviation experts also talk about the shortage of pilots that the industry is facing.

View of Industry Experts: Talking to ETV Bharat, Industry veteran Captain Shakti Lumba — who retired as IndiGo VP and had before that headed Alliance Air said "Air travel is an important aspect for the mobility of economy but the government while thinking about other things forgets about the individual rights. Today, the pilots don't have the right to unionise. Airlines who are looking for profit lobbies for more work for pilots so that the number of pilots they employ gets deducted. And that's where FDTL comes in."

The last revision came in January and the deadline was June 1 but DGCA deferred it later. The only reason behind this was the pressure from the airlines.

"Today, the pilots in India are happy only when they are off duty. They live under tremendous work pressure, there's no work balance and they're underpaid. In terms of employment, it takes a near about 1.25 crore to become a pilot in India. The time when he/she joins an airline, they need to give a bond (amounting to near about 40-50 lakhs) which is illegal in nature. Why nobody is talking about it and nobody is challenging it also. Then there are extremely harsh HR practices. Imagine, a pilot has to serve a notice period of 6 months, no industry does that. The fact of the matter is that life of a pilot is not that glamorous as it seems so", adds Captain Lumba.

He further said that "There are issues pertaining to unemployment also. So, we have let's say near about 10,000 pilots but there is a shortage at the captain level while the maximum unemployment is at the co-pilot level. The airlines have ordered more than 1000 planes and you have a schedule for that till 2030. This is the time when airlines should be building a career progression which is a continuous induction programme along with an upgradation programme for Captains."

Similarly, Jaideep Mirchandani, group chairman of UAE-based aviation major Sky One said, "The shortage of senior pilots could affect operations, fleet expansion plans and profitability. The potential pilot shortage may pose numerous challenges for the airlines. Primarily, they may struggle to capitalise on the increasing travel demand. Further, they may face difficulties in maintaining proper flight schedules, thereby affecting the operations, fleet expansion plans and profitability."

In India, pilots are required to retire at the age of 65. While there have been talks about extending the retirement age for commercial pilots further, Mirchandani believes that this would not serve as a long-term solution to the issue.

He further says that the industry should look for more viable and sustainable options. “Improving the pay scale and increased incentives would make the career more attractive to aspirants. Addressing pilot fatigue through extended weekly rest periods and encouraging more women to join the aviation sector will also help", he added.

According to a senior official in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, we have as many as 10,000 pilots for a total fleet of near about over 1000 airplanes. It is pertinent to note here that in February 2023, the Tata-run Air India Group placed an order for 470 planes which includes 250 with Airbus and 220 with American plane maker Boeing. Four months later, IndiGo made the world’s largest aircraft order by signing a deal for 500 A320neo family planes from Airbus.

According to the industry experts, we'll be needing a near about 7000-1000 pilots in the coming few years to cater to this demand.

Another challenge facing the airlines is related to training. The process of becoming a senior pilot is lengthy and requires a significant investment in both time and resources. This also underscores the need for more airlines to partner with pilot training institutes. The Civil Aviation Ministry earlier stated that it had taken various steps to establish more flying schools across the country to train commercial pilots.

According to the source, there are 36 Flying Training Organisations (FTOs) working across the country with nearly 300 training aircrafts.

Shelka Gupta, Head Drone Training & VP of New Business at Redbird Flight training told ETV Bharat that "Indian Aviation Industry is on its way up with the biggest boom ever seen & it's about time that FTOs in serious business of training needs recognition from airlines as well as regulatory bodies. The numbers of CPL required will be exponentially high in coming years hence there is a need of more FTOs and support from the regulatory bodies."

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