NEW DELHI, Nov 27:The aviation sector requires
around 100 more pilots every year and the Government would
upgrade its flying training academies to bridge the shortfall.
According to Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh
Puri, there are 32 Flying Training Organisations (FTOs) in the
country, which train around 350 pilots every year.
In this 23 FTOs are in the private sector and rest nine
are with the Centre and various state governments.
“We require 100 more pilots every year because we are
inducting 100 planes, which means around 700 pilots are
required,” said Puri in Rajya Sabha.
“We are training around 350 pilots. We get some retired
pilots from the Air Force and Navy personnel,” he said.
According to the minister, half of the total 9,000 pilots
are in the commander level and rest in other categories.
“We require foreign pilots in some categories,” he said.
The minister said, “We are in the process of upgrading
our facilities so that instead of 350 or so pilots, we take
this number by a few hundreds”.
However, on being asked about the places where the
academies would come up, Puri said, “I am not in a position to
take commitment where it would be located.”
The minister was replying to a supplementary question
asked by Ravi Prakash Verma on conversion of Balia airstrip in
Lakhimpur Kheri into a pilot training academy. (PTI)
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