INDIA
There are around 560 expat pilots currently employed with various airlines in India and they account for 10% of the total strength of 5,500 civilian pilots.
The issue of expat pilots being hired by Indian air carriers has been brewing for some years now. Saturday’s crash has brought it into sharper focus with many aviation experts squarely putting the blame on the Serbian flight commander of the Z Glusicea (53).
The argument being put forth by them against foreign pilots manning the domestic flights is that they are not adequately familiar with the Indian airfields and weather.
“Their (expat pilots) accent has also been the cause of some of the airport mishaps and near misses. If you look at the history of bungling by the pilots at local airports, most of them have involved expat pilots,” said Bijoy Pandey, Air Marshal (retired).
Indian carriers have been importing pilots from Russia, the Czech Republic and East European countries to meet the shortfall of experienced pilots in the country. Lately, pilot unions and some aviation associations have raised their voice against this practice. They argue that today, India had enough experienced pilots available locally.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had intervened by issuing a directive to airlines to phase out expat pilots by July this year. This deadline, however, has been extended by another one year on request of airlines, who are on expansion mode due to the recent upswing in demand.
The latest data put out by the ministry of civil aviation reveals that around 600 expat pilots are employed by domestic airlines.
Air Marshal Pandey, who has trained many Indian IAF pilots, questioned skill levels of overseas pilots recruited by Indian carriers: “Most of them are rejects from their country. They come to India only because they are unemployed in their countries.
They are brought on fancy salaries,”Capt Mohan Ranganathan, an aviation expert, said the airline regulatory body DGCA needs to make its norms for importing foreign pilots more stringent to monitor the quality of pilots.
He said that currently, the type experience for an expat flight commander is 100 hours while it is 1000 hours for an Indian commander. The type experience is the number of hours put in by the pilot in flying a particular type of aircraft. Capt Ranganathan said this discriminative gap needed to be bridged.
“It (type experience for foreign pilots) should not be less than 1000 hours. In countries like Singapore and Emirates, a commander requires more than 3000 hours of type experience and 7000 hours of flying experience,” he said.
K Gohain, former joint director of DGCA, feels that this view that expat pilots are ill-equipped for Indian flying does not hold water. “These pilots are trained in leading flying academies in their country. They are certified by their country and India. After that they are screened by Indian airlines hiring them on route familiarity and other aspects.”
Badshah breaks his silence on dating rumours with Pakistani star Hania Aamir: ‘We have a lot of…’
Delhi pollution: Air quality deteriorates to 'severe' category in Delhi-NCR; AQI at 419
'I think bro is her EX': Man performs risky bike stunt with burqa-clad woman in Bangladesh, watch
Viral video: Little girl's power-packed dance to 'beer song' melts hearts online, watch
Explained: Why India must win the 1st Test against Australia in Perth
Raima Sen mourns Bharat Dev Varma's demise, pens emotional note for 'great father, great husband'
DNA TV Show: Ahead of Maharashtra poll results, MVA, Mahayuti engage in resort politics
Maharashtra: Stage set for assembly poll results; Mahayuti, MVA confident of their victories
All set for vote counting in Jharkhand tomorrow; NDA, JMM-led alliances confident of winning
Watch: Australia star inquires Rishabh Pant about his next IPL team, gets 2-word reply
Shah Rukh Khan’s house Mannat was first offered to his industry rival…, but he refused because...
The Visionary Who Promises a Blue Sky for India: Holger Thorsten Schubart’s G20 Climate Speech
The Surge of High-End Living: Luxury Residential Market to Outpace Other Segments
FeFCon 2024 to be Held in Bangalore: A Premier Event on Fever Management
'That’s wild': Noida man turns cigarette butts into teddy bears in viral video, watch
London Airport evacuates passengers over security threat, thousands stranded
The World’s First Innovative Iron Supplement to Combat Iron Deficiency and Anaemia
Meet grandmother who became fashion icon after trying on her granddaughter’s clothes
IND vs AUS: Rishabh Pant joins Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma in elite WTC list, becomes 3rd Indian to...
'All scripted drama...': Puneet Superstar allegedly assaulted by influencers in viral video, watch
Actress Ana de Armas caught kissing Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s son in viral photos
Oreshnik's Shadow: Will Russia's hypersonic missile force west to back down?
‘You’re So Beautiful’: World’s tallest woman meets world’s shortest woman over tea, pics go viral
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Consequences of GRAP-4 are drastic, may have adverse effects, says SC
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Schools likely to stay closed till..., check city-wise update
Maharashtra: 3 killed, 9 hospitalised after gas leak at fertiliser plant in Sangli
THIS farm is selling a cup of coffee for Rs 28000, but there's a twist, it is...
Chhattisgarh: 10 Maoists killed after encounter with security personnel in Sukma
Mukesh Ambani's SUPERHIT plan for Jio users, offers unlimited 5G access for 1 year for just Rs...
IND vs AUS 1st Test: KL Rahul's dismissal sparks DRS controversy in Perth Test
Dense fog, heavy rain predicted in these states till November 25; check here
Oreshnik Hypersonic Missile: Which nations are within its range?
Bihar teacher, principal reach school in drunken state; know what happened next
'I have faced a lot of...': Arjun Kapoor REVEALS his biggest fear amid break up with Malaika Arora
How millions of Indians may get affected due to US indictment of Gautam Adani in bribery case
Amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan says 'missing someone is okay but...'
After Bibles, watches and sneakers, Donald Trump is now selling autographed guitars, price is...
Delhi pollution: Air quality improves to ‘very poor’ category, AQI at...
Vladimir Putin's BIG threat, warns he could strike UK with new ballistic missile if...
Shillong Teer Results TODAY November 22, 2024 Live Updates: Check winning numbers here