India would need about 30,000 pilots in the next 15-20 years, Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu said on Tuesday. He emphasized that Indian airlines have already ordered over 1,700 planes and added to the existing fleet of over 800 aircraft.
"At the moment, we have 6,000 to 7,000 active pilots. To cater to the increasing requirements of the aviation sector, India will require 30,000 pilots within the next two decades," Naidu added while highlighting the need to make India a major hub for pilot training.
The minister said this while attending a ceremony to witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the acquisition of 200 trainer aircraft. He also spoke about efforts to categorize airports, including the potential to establish dedicated airports for cargo operations and Flying Training Organizations (FTOs).
In a major move to boost India's aviation training facilities, Coimbatore-based Sakthi Aircraft Industry Private Limited (SAIPL) and the Aero Club of India (ACI) entered into an MoU on Tuesday for the manufacture and supply of 200 Diamond DA40 NG trainer aircraft.
SAIPL, in association with Austria's Diamond Aircraft Industry, will have a production facility in India to make, service, and provide full lifecycle support for the DA40 NG trainer aircraft. Deliveries will start by May 2025, with a target of producing 70 aircraft by the year's end, before ramping up to 100 aircraft per year. The partnership will train 1,000 pilots annually and 10,000 pilots in the next 10 years to fly a variety of commercial aircraft.
Additionally, Naidu informed the Rajya Sabha that the government is working on establishing a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to facilitate the production of regional transport aircraft, further boosting India’s self-reliance in the aviation sector.
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