Pilots wait in the wings for jobs

As per estimates of the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), based on the data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the number of unemployed pilots has been swelling steadily due to the limited number of airlines in operation in the country. Every year, 250 more youngsters with fresh CPLs join the fold with dreams of the blue yonder, but end up unemployed.

`Unemployment is bound to be high as the recession hasput expansion plans on hold. In any case, there are only five major players in the state,” says Captain M Wadia of the FIP.

Says Varun Chandiwala: “I always wanted to be a pilot. So I enrolled for training with the Bombay Flying Club in 1994. After 18 months, I finally acquired the all-important CPL.” However, Varun’s licence to fly only remains on paper. “I have not been able to secure a commercial pilot’s job for over three years now. And since one has to renew the licence every two years, I have to spend around Rs 10,000 to undergo the regular skill test,” he adds.

What’s worse, even those lucky enough to find a slim opening with a private airline, there is an unwritten clause. “To land a job as a trainee pilot, one has to pay a minimum Rs 10 lakh under the table. Many pay up as that is better than remaining unemployed for two or more years,” says another aspirant, Yunus Boriwala. This, he explains, is meant to cover the cost of training the pilot in a particular aircraft.

Though nationalisedcarriers like Air-India and Indian Airlines are not known to have such dealings, the job market here is no better. The last advertisement A-I published to hire pilots in the `general’ category was five years ago with most vacancies being filled by the pilots of the now defunct Vayudoot airline through internal campus interviews.

“AI has 26 aircraft and 400 pilots. The current unemployment figures are high mainly because of the economic recession,” says AI spokesperson, Jitendra Bhargava. He adds till the smaller cities in India are linked by air the situation is not likely to improve. “Right now, private airlines are doing well only on trunk routes, which is why they too are self-sufficient,” he explains.

However, the Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA), which represents Indian Airlines’ pilots, feels airlines need to loosen their purse strings a little. “IA, which has a fleet of 53 aircraft and 460 pilots, last recruited pilots in 1992. However, if the airline recruits 150 more pilots, itwould ease the load on the existing ones,” says ICPA Regional President, Captain Ramesh S.

DGCA sources attribute the recession to the fact that there are too many companies in the fray. For one, fuel prices have trebled from Rs 12 to Rs 38 per litre; aircraft spares have became dearer because of the dollar-rupee parity; and on the other hand the salary structure in other airline sections has rocketed sky high. In fact, of the four air taxi operators which commenced operations in 1994, all but Jet Airways, shut down within three years. Modiluft, despite technical support and expertise from international giant Lufthansa, went bust. East West Airlines had funds pouring from the Middle East. Damania Airlines was bought over by NEPC, a venture of the Khemkas. Even the Tatas were unable to secure a toehold on the runway despite elaborate plans to float a domestic airline. Jet Airways is the only surviving domestic carrier which commenced operations at around the same time.

Industry experts believe therecession will, however, recede in the next millennium. Till then, young pilots will have to keep renewing their licences in the hope of seeing that elusive classified: Vacancies for Commercial Pilots.

Main airlines in the state