Regulator for monthly data on co-pilots

Upgrade criteria for co-pilots vary. The minimum flying hours experience laid down by DGCA is 1,500 hours; IndiGo allows upgrade to commander after the pilot has flown 2,000 hours.

Air India and Jet Airways have more stringent criteria for both recruitment of trainee pilots and their promotion,said aviation industry experts. At both AI and Jet,no co-pilot can become a commander without logging at least 2,750 flying hours, a senior Jet official said.

The regulator has extended,with riders,the deadline for phasing out foreign pilots to the end of 2013. Permission to hire will be given only after airlines meet all safety and security criteria regarding employment of foreign pilots. The decision to phase out expat pilots has been deferred several times.