Soaring demand for COMMERCIAL PILOTS

According to aviation experts, there's a requirement of 35,000-40,000 new pilots over the next decade, with over 7,000 required in 2026 alone

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The nationalisation of Tata Airlines and its transformation into the public sector monopolies Air India in 1948 and Indian Airlines in 1953, heralded a new age of commercial aviation in India. However, post 1991 when the Congress government headed by prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao liberalised and deregulated the socialist Indian economy, several private airlines — Indigo, SpiceJet, Vistara, GoAir (now GoFirst), Air Asia India — have been flying Indian skies.

Since then, air routes have multiplied and the demand for trained pilots in the domestic aviation industry has risen exponentially. According to aviation experts, there's a requirement of 35,000-40,000 new pilots over the next decade, with over 7,000 required by 2026 alone. Consequently, commercial aviation is a lucrative and much sought after career option for youth, especially those with a penchant for flying and travel.

Flying clubs (i.e, schools) provide practical training for aspiring commercial pilots who are obliged to obtain a commercial pilot's licence (CPL) awarded to those who acquire stipulated experience of flying a wide range of aircraft as also of flying solo, cross country, night flying and a minimum number of takeoffs and landings etc.