Massive job opportunities in aviation sector

India may need 39,000 pilots by 2035, says govt study

A growing civil aviation sector can generate at least 9.77 lakh direct, and around 30 lakh indirect jobs by 2035, a study conducted for the Civil Aviation Ministry has said.

In a best case scenario, it could rise to 11.21 lakh jobs at a time the number of passengers are likely to rise to at least 876 million, 4.6 times the volume (190.1 million) last year. The cargo volume is expected to increase to 9.16 million tonne from 2.5 million tonne at present, while the aircraft movements are expected to grow at 8 per cent during 2015-35 and reach 75.6 lakh in 2035.

The findings are part of a draft report prepared by ICRA Management Consultancy Services for the ministry, which wanted a “comprehensive” skill gap analysis and formulate a future road map for skill development in the sector.

“The industry is expected to maintain the momentum as the outlook for the Indian has been positive owing to good Indian GDP growth of 6.5 per cent, increase in the middle-class population and decrease in global oil prices. The growth in the industry will lead to a significant requirement for skilled human resources,” it said.

As per projections, there would be 2.26 lakh jobs in airports, 3.17 lakh in airlines, 2.4 lakh in cargo, 1.61 lakh in ground handling and 33,000 in MRO sector in a business-as-usual scenario. In the best case scenario, there will be 2.69 lakh jobs in airports, 3.51 lakh in airlines, 2.73 lakh in cargo, 1.92 lakh in ground handling and 36,000 in MRO sector in a business-as-usual scenario.

The report said that India might require 39,000 pilots and co-pilots by 2035 from the existing around 5,000. The demand could rise to 13,000 by 2020, and 20,000 in 2025.

There is a need for 68,000 cabin crew in 2035 while in 2020, it could be 22,000 and 34,000 in 2025. With the vast number of human resources that are required, the need of the hour is to have a unified vision on training. 

According to the report, a National Civil Aviation Training Entity (NCATE) should be established that oversees all training related activities for the sector. NCATE would work closely with the Ministry and attached organisations to formulate a unified training policy.