With 1,700 aircraft pending orders, India needs 30K pilots: Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu

India will need an additional 30,000 pilots once the pending orders for 1,700 aircraft from the Indian carriers are delivered, Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu said on Saturday.

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Addressing a session on the sidelines of Cll Partnership Summit here, Naidu said on the lines of FedEx, a global logistics company that has a dedicated airport in the USA, the central government is also mulling the creation of cargo airports in the country.

Naidu also highlighted that currently India has about 8,000 pilots for a fleet of 834 aircraft, out of which 2,000 to 3,000 are not actively flying. The Indian carriers have already placed orders for 1,700 aircraft with makers such as Boeing and AirBus.

To run a plane, one aircraft in a proper schedule, you will need at least 10 to 15 pilots per aircraft, so that they can do the routes according to their schedule.