Why The Pilot-Airline-Employment Equation Doesn't Add Up

8/30/23, 12:26 PM Why the Pilot-airline-employment equation doesn’t add up
INDIA
SKY-HIGH GOALS, GROUNDED REALITY
Airlines want pilots. Pilots want jobs. Why

are thousands unemployed?
A strong post-Covid recovery has sent Air India and the ilk on a recruitment overdrive. But they
don’t want the 10,000 pilots who are jobless
Nuha Bubere, 30 Aug 2023

Indian airlines have big fleet-expansion plans. As a result, they are poaching from rivals and arm-twisting their own
pilots
More than 1,000 pilots get trained and receive flying licenses every year, but the airlines don’t want them
A string of problems reside in these flight training organisations. As a result, most airlines are cautious about hiring
freshers
With an impending hiring freeze, the unemployed pilots face the challenge of becoming attractive candidates to the
airlines
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Read a 200 word free summary.
SHOW SUMMARY
It was 4 May, 1:43 p.m., at Taj City Centre in Gurugram. Amid the lavish backdrop of the hotel, a
senior First Officer from Go First strode purposefully. There was a recruitment drive for Air India
at 2:00 p.m.
He was on time because it was a potential lifeline for him. The debt-ridden airline he worked for
had recently nosedived (read: filed for voluntary insolvency).
It was a desperate move, fuelled by a fateful Whatsapp message received a day earlier. On the
way to the recruitment hall, he expected mostly familiar faces from Go First. But what he walked
into was a throng of about 300 pilots—some from the grounded airline and a handful from Indigo
and Akasa Air.
“Never before had I seen so many pilots under one roof. Not even for an awards event,” he
remarked with a hint of amusement. “Some of these pilots had been waiting since 10 am. Even
Air India officials were surprised by the turnout.”
And why wouldn’t they? The airline had dangled the carrot—“on-the-spot offers”. It’s another
matter that none of the pilots who showed up received one.
Air India carried out similar recruitment drives in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru, drawing 230,
300, and 150 pilots, respectively. At the one in the national capital, a senior airline official
expressed hope to “take in everyone”. While no offers were extended on the same day, the
company eventually onboarded 200 pilots.
This scramble to hire pilots mirrors the heightened demand across India’s aviation industry in the
wake of a post-Covid upswing. The financials reflect that too: Indigo recently clocked a historic
net profit of Rs 3,090 crore (US$373 million) for the June quarter alone.
Indigo plans to add 500 Airbus aircraft to its fleet by 2030, with an initial batch of 50 landing as
soon as next year. Air India’s order of 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing, alongside Akasa Air’s
76 Boeing aircraft order, underscores the industry-wide push.
Overall, airlines across India are set to increase their aircraft count from around 700, as per
Ministry of Civil Aviation data, to more than 1,700 within the next 1–2 years. Operating each of
these aircraft requires, on average, a crew of 10 or more pilots.

Crunching the numbers, the expected surge will call for an additional 8,000–9,000 pilots.
INDIA
Now, here’s the question: Where will this rapid infusion of aviators take flight from? One strategy
of snatching seasoned pilots from rivals might temporarily paper over the cracks, but it barely
scratches the surface of the industry’s hunger for skilled people.
On the flip side, a horde of recently trained pilots remain grounded, their wings clipped by a lack
of jobs. And, according to over a dozen pilots and a person close to the Directorate General of
Civil Aviation (DGCA) who spoke with The Ken, around 10,000 aviators are unemployed in the
industry.
All that happens between taxiing and taking off

Every year, India trains hundreds to become pilots.
This is facilitated by 36 Flying Training Organisations (FTOs), each comprising nearly 30 students
per annum. One of them—Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Akademi (IGRUA)—is operated by the
central government; eight are under state governments, and the remaining are privately owned.
Producing pilots
Indigo offers a cadet pilot programme costing over Rs 1.5 crore (US$181,600) per
student. Successful students are guaranteed a job. As a result, it doesn’t need to hire
pilots from other sources. It also collaborates with Chimes Aviation Academy in
Madhya Pradesh for cadet training
Job placements, however, remain mostly elusive even at these training schools. This year, though
—for the first time in many—an airline hired directly from a training school. Air India Express
inducted 60 students and a few instructors from IGRUA.
So, looking at the people who become eligible to fly planes every year, the number is staggering.
In 2022, the DGCA issued the Commercial Pilot License (CPL) to a record number of individuals—
1,165. This year, it has already issued 993 licenses.

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Of them, only a few make the cut for international airlines. Almost all global carriers demand an
Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) unless they opt for CPL holders through an international
cadet initiative. Although, there is no official data available for this figure.
Why, then, is there such a high level of joblessness—especially when airlines are expanding?
Turns out, a lack of experience and skills. To illustrate, a pilot with a Middle Eastern carrier put it
this way: “If you own a Bentley, would you hire a driver who drives a Maruti or someone familiar
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The current and former pilots and employees of various airlines and students in training schools
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quoted in the story declined to be named as they didn’t want to comment on their current and
potential employers publicly.
Typically, airlines set job requirements for pilots who have years of experience and a high type
rating.
The total count of employed pilots and co-pilots in 2020 was 9,002, according to data from the
Ministry of Civil Aviation. This figure declined to 8,573 in 2021 and fell further to 8,508 in 2022.
During this time, all airlines saw a drop in the number of pilots except for Vistara, which hired
only one pilot.
The pilot with the Middle Eastern airline said many Indian pilots with CPLs are medically unfit,
retired, or don’t want to fly. “Only 5,000 pilots are experienced. A chunk of this, almost 70%,
work for Indian airlines and the remaining for international carriers,” they said. The Ken couldn’t
independently verify these numbers.
“Unemployment, therefore, is [mainly] at the junior level. CPL license holders with only 200–250
hours of training are the ones sitting jobless,” added the pilot.
For aspiring pilots undergoing training, this is a double-edged challenge.
The flying process itself is “extremely slow,” said an IGRUA student. “I’ve been here for over two
years and have only completed 68 hours. The training aircraft is not available to fly daily.”
Besides, flight schools also don’t have access to consistently clear skies. Many in the industry say
getting 200 hours of training typically takes three years, whereas, in the US, students can get it
done in 6–7 months.
A lack of well-maintained infrastructure only adds to the woes. Since the training planes are
grounded for the most part, repair and other technical problems keep cropping up.
The number of airports is also crucial. Some airports don’t allow trainees to practise landings,
affecting their flight hours. Although airports have increased from 74 in 2014 to 147 in 2022
according to government data, there is demand for more.
The IGRUA student also raised concerns regarding a lax administration and “partial” teachers.
Conversely, a student from the Madhya Pradesh Flying Club (MPFC) contended that certain
students outperform others, thereby earning more flying opportunities.
Another aspect is the safety risk attached to students flying these aircraft. There are cases of
student pilots and instructors perishing from flying in bad weather, student pilot errors, or aircraft
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When asked about safety protocols, an IGRUA alumnus who was placed in Air India Express said:
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“It’s not a norm at training schools, but casualties do occur. We have seen three in the past couple
of years.”
“As a training aircraft is lighter than the ones in an airline, we have to make sure about the weight
onboard. So, parachutes are not allowed.”
In May 2022, Amit Singh, founder of Safety Matters Foundation, wrote to the civil aviation
watchdog DGCA and the Ministry of Civil Aviation, highlighting inadequate safety protocols at
schools, but never heard back. He, however, said the onus of security should also be on training
schools.
Flight schools are in remote locations. The DGCA cannot

check regularly. The outcome of the accident, the
investigation, and the audit aren’t declared. The pilots who die
are blamed. The foundation of training schools is handled by
novices
AMIT SINGH, FOUNDER, SAFETY MATTERS FOUNDATION
Given the expenses tied to flight training, one would expect to have at least the fundamental
safety measures locked in.
At the cost of an invisible handcuff

In India, the cost of obtaining the CPL is very high, even though it depends on the type of
institution (government or private).
IGRUA charges Rs 45 lakh (US$54,400) for training. At MPFC, the training cost is Rs 32 lakh
(US$38,700). The Government Flying Training School in Bengaluru levies a fee of Rs 35 lakh
(US$42,300) for students from Karnataka, while those from other states are required to pay Rs 42
lakh (US$50,700). Hostel accommodation adds an extra few lakhs.
Including flight school, airline training, and type rating, costs reach Rs 1 crore (US$120,800).
Loans mean monthly EMIs. And to be promoted to Captain and get better pay, pilots need enough
flying hours, which takes at least five years.
So, the return on investment is gradual as the cost recovery takes both time and luck.
Beyond all of that, if and when novice aviators begin their career with an airline, they are
INDIA
obligated to enter into a legally binding contract—usually a five-year bond. If they want to leave
the airline, they have to pay the company up to Rs 50 lakh (US$60,400). For senior pilots, the
bond is for 2–3 years and the amount is Rs 30 lakh (US$36,300).
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It’s a policy that has faced criticism for being restrictive and unfair towards pilots.
“The bond is the stupidest thing ever concocted. It’s like the police coming to your house and
putting a handcuff on you. If you go to court, the argument is that you voluntarily let yourself be
handcuffed,” said the pilot with the Middle Eastern carrier. “It is a violation of your right. But,
then, freshers cannot afford to say no to the airlines.”

An aviation lawyer The Ken spoke with said, “It’s not entirely illegal so long as the pilots are
INDIA
remunerated for the bond. There is consideration attached to the bond period. So it’s a bit more
nuanced than simply putting it under a legal or illegal basket.”
Contracts in “restraint of trade” are non-constitutional, but “reasonable restrictions” are

permitted. So, the lawyer added, “if the airline is not paying the pilot and forcing them to
continue working on the bond period, that can be challenged in court”.
However, some pilots believe that a policy with certain limitations may not be unfavourable.
“When an airline puts in the resources for training pilots, it expects some sort of payback. In that
case, it makes sense to make pilots sign such bonds. But they shouldn’t quote exorbitant amounts
that can force pilots to stay with airlines,” said the Go First pilot who was part of the Air India
recruitment.
Earlier, airlines would pay for a pilot’s type rating that would cost Rs 17–20 lakh (US$20,500–
24,200). They would also cover training costs. But now, pilots are required to pay for everything.
Go First, last year, allegedly took Rs 70 lakh (US$84,500) from pilots with type ratings under the
garb of training them further, according to a former pilot with the company.
“The demand was simple: give the money or leave. These fresher pilots didn’t know better and
wanted to hang on to their jobs desperately, so they paid,” they said, adding that the company did
this despite knowing that it was on shaky ground. Its Cochin and Chennai bases were shut and it
was operating only about 100 flights.
The ex-pilot went on to claim that it was not a first-off incident. However, this time, the undoing
of the company and its failure to pay salaries rendered the bond null. Go First did not respond to
The Ken’s queries.
This turn of events was well-timed for Air India. During the recruitment drives in May, it poached
around 200 of Go First’s pilots, including 150 captains and 50-80 first officers.
Just before Go First went bust, Air India’s pilot union was protesting against a revised contract.
With numerous pilots considering departure, the airline strategically launched the recruitment
campaign. Then, to show its ability to replace the protesting pilots, Air India shared images from
the event. As a result, many pilots chose to sign the new contract, according to a senior pilot close
to the union.
Airlines and pilots, in general, share this deeply antagonistic relationship. An internal chat,
accessed by The Ken, revealed Indigo pilots’ fatigue. They considered a newspaper ad but rejected
the idea, suggesting a social-media influencer make a video about the challenges.

INDIA
A pilot is just a number for these airlines. If one leaves, there

will be others to take their place. How many airlines invest in
earning the loyalty of their employees? The answer is zero.
Why, then, should airlines expect pilots to stay?
PILOT, A MIDDLE EASTERN AIRLINE
The problems recur in a loop.
Without experienced pilots in the hiring pool, existing pilots are overworked. Flight schools
produce new cadets every year, airlines put restrictions on quitting, and employees bear the
brunt.
Pilots fly up to 1,000 hours a year, with weekly hours peaking at 35. They’re always at the
airline’s beck and call. And everyone ignores the poor working conditions, according to many The
Ken spoke with.
“Any over-experienced pilot works at the managerial level. And, it’s not that if an ex-pilot
manages the company, it is pilot-friendly. Most airlines that went down are the ones with pilots at
the helm,” said a pilot with Indigo.
Even DGCA regulations work against pilots. Changes like the 2019 night flying rule and the
contested longer notice period favour airlines, not pilots. Airlines can overwork pilots without
breaking the rules.
Singh agrees, blaming DGCA for straying from safety oversight into pilot issues like notice
periods. “No, that’s not its job.”
When will unemployable pilots’ careers fly?

DGCA favours operators, who in turn prioritise experienced pilots. Amid a growing pool of over
10,000 unemployed pilots, the skies look even gloomier for newcomers.
So, who will be hiring them and the yearly influx of graduates equipped with pilot licenses?
A Go First pilot said the past nine months are an exception to how airlines hire. “Typically, they
don’t overhire because there is no such thing as bench strength. They hire just about enough to
keep a check on the demand,” they added.

INDIA
Recruitment depends on two factors: aircraft availability and financial stability. Thanks to the
rising demand, they go on to add, airlines will have enough pilots to sustain themselves by
December 2024.
“There is an Air India-Vistara-AirAsia merger in the works. A lot of swapping at the senior level is
underway. Once that calms down, airlines will start hiring freshers or lower-level pilots,” the Go
First pilot chipped in.
The pilot with the Middle Eastern airline said India has reached only 40% of its aviation potential.
So, he added, the unemployed pilots have to wait it out for a little longer to secure jobs.
Their observation does hold weight given the consistent rise in air traffic within India.
The highfliers
Domestic airlines carried 88.2 million passengers from January to July, a 32% rise from
last year, according to government data. In 2023, India saw 614,000 domestic flight
departures and 96,983 international ones, compared to 531,000 and 47,600 in the
previous year, respectively
The glamour of the uniform captivates many every year, but questions about pilots’ conditions,
compensation, skewed policies, and poor infrastructure still remain. Serious changes can happen
only when DGCA regulations and airlines start prioritising the aviators.
It’s 30 August. The Go First pilot who was at Taj City Centre is still adrift in a jobless sky. Yet, the
downfall of Kingfisher Airways and Jet Airways, both of which he had previously served, makes
Go First’s storm all too familiar.
Edited by Sumit Chakraborty
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AUTHOR
NUHA BUBERE
Nuha is interested in the opportunities present at the intersection of business and storytelling. Currently, based out of
Bengaluru, she's exploring the city and trying to make sense on how to commute without being stuck in traffic.
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8/30/23, 12:26 PM Why the Pilot-airline-employment equation doesn’t add up

SKY-HIGH GOALS, GROUNDED REALITY

Airlines want pilots. Pilots want jobs. Why

Nuha Bubere, 30 Aug 2023

Home Newsletters Podcasts Visual Stories Search More

Home Newsletters Podcasts Visual Stories Search More

All that happens between taxiing and taking off

Home Newsletters Podcasts Visual Stories Search More

Explore more infographics like this in The Ken -

For aspiring pilots undergoing training, this is a double-edged challenge.

Flight schools are in remote locations. The DGCA cannot

At the cost of an invisible handcuff

Explore more infographics like this in The Ken -

Home Newsletters Podcasts Visual Stories Search More

Contracts in “restraint of trade” are non-constitutional, but “reasonable restrictions” are

Home Newsletters Podcasts Visual Stories Search More

A pilot is just a number for these airlines. If one leaves, there

The problems recur in a loop.

When will unemployable pilots’ careers fly?

keep a check on the demand,” they added.

Edited by Sumit Chakraborty

Share this article, even with non-subscribers

Home Newsletters Podcasts Visual Stories Search More

Gift credits available : 5

MPFC Pilots Recruitment regulations student pilot unemployed pilots Vistara

09 JUN, 23 30 JUN, 23 19 JUN, 23 31 JUL, 23

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