With a booming aviation sector and increase in the number of flights in Indian skies, there has been a great demand for pilots.
But is the quality of pilots and maintenance of aircraft by domestic flight operators, including the privately-owned jets, up to the mark? No, say the aviation experts.
“Most pilots hired by private operators are not up to international standards. Anyone with a commercial pilot’s licence is allowed to fly, which is not in adherence to safety standards,” they say.
Many of our young pilots with 200 hours of flying experience from flying schools in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Canada and the US  are immediately employed,” says Wg Cdr (retd) AE Patrawalla, President, Aeronautical Society of India.
Air Marshal (Retd) Ajit Lamba says the safety standards and maintenance procedures adopted by private carriers are not up to mark compared with the IAF, where discipline is most essential.
Another crisis dogging the aviation industry is the shortage of pilots. At present, there are 3,500 to 4,000 pilots in the country and there is a shortage of 400 pilots, say experts.
“There is a shortage of quality pilots and we need to address the issue soon,” said Air Marshal R Ramamurthy, President, Air Force Association of Karnataka.
However, experts lauded the efforts of pilots of the ill-fated Pilactus 68 aircraft saying they averted a major disaster by force landing the plane into the lake bed risking their own lives.