India will need 30,000 pilots in the next 15-20 years, said Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu on Tuesday. He stated that Indian airlines have placed orders for more than 1,700 aircraft and currently there are over 800 planes.
“Presently, there are 6,000-7,000 working pilots and the country will need 30,000 pilots in the next 15 to 20 years,” the minister said while pitching for making India a training hub. Naidu, speaking at a function to mark the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for an order for 200 trainer aircraft, said that efforts are being made to categorise airports, including the possibility of having dedicated airports for cargo and Flying Training Organization (FTOs).
Coimbatore-based Sakthi Aircraft Industry Private Limited (SAIPL) and the Aero Club of India (ACI) on Tuesday signed a MoU to manufacture and supply 200 Diamond DA40 NG trainer aircraft in India.
SAIPL, in a joint venture with Diamond Aircraft Industry, Austria, will set up manufacturing facility in India to produce, sustain, and provide comprehensive lifecycle support for the DA40 NG.
SAIPL will commence deliveries by May 2025, with an initial target of 70 aircraft by the end of 2025, and subsequently scale up to produce 100 aircraft annually. The collaboration is projected to train 1,000 pilots annually and 10,000 pilots over the next 10 years, equipping them to operate the entire range of commercial aircraft.
The aviation minister in a Rajya Sabha reply also said the government is in the process of setting a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for making regional transport aircraft.