Bumper vacancy will come in Air India! Get ready, salary will also be huge
Air India will need more than 6,500 pilots in the coming years to operate the 470 aircraft being bought from Airbus and Boeing. The airline has placed orders for a total of 840 aircraft to expand its fleet as well as operations. This includes the option to buy 370 aircraft. This is the largest aircraft order placed by any airline. Currently, Air India has around 1,600 pilots to operate a fleet of 113 aircraft.
Around 850 pilots for 54 aircraft
In the past, there have been reports of cancellation or delay of flights due to crew shortage. The airline’s two subsidiaries – Air India Express and AirAsia India – have around 850 pilots to fly their 54 aircraft. On the other hand, Joint Venture Vistara has more than 600 pilots for 53 aircraft. The source said that India, Air India Express, Vistara and AirAsia India have more than 3,000 pilots to operate a total fleet of 220 aircraft.
About 1200 pilots will be required
Recent orders placed with Airbus include 210 A320/321neo/XLR aircraft and 40 A350-900/1000 aircraft. The orders given to Boeing include 190 737-Max aircraft, 20 787 aircraft and 10 777 aircraft. Informed sources said, “Air India is mainly taking the A350 for its long-haul routes or flights lasting more than 16 hours. The airline will need 30 pilots (15 commanders and 15 first officers) per aircraft. This means that around 1,200 pilots will be needed for just the A350.
26 pilots needed for one Boeing 777
According to sources, 26 pilots are required for a Boeing 777. If the airline inducts 10 such aircraft, it will need 260 pilots. Similarly, for 20 Boeing 787, about 400 pilots will be required. In all, a total of 660 pilots would be required to induct 30 large-size Boeing aircraft, sources said. Similarly, an average of 12 pilots is required for a narrow-body aircraft.
At least 4,800 pilots will be needed to include 400 such aircraft in the fleet. According to Pankaj Srivastava, former commercial director of Air India, adequate opportunities will have to be created for commercial pilot license (CPL) holders to get type rating. A type rating is specialized training that qualifies a pilot to operate a specific type of aircraft.
