NEW DELHI: Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Monday said the country will have 3,000 aircraft in its possession by 2036 and they require a workforce comprising 10,000-12,000 pilots.
Speaking at Rail Bhavan after an MoU was inked between the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV) in Gujarat run by the Ministry of Railways, Naidu said the demand from the Indian aviation industry is surprisingly huge.
“A total of 1,700 aircraft are on the horizon which is two times the number of the aircraft we have in our fleet today. When they get delivered, we will have 3,000 aircraft in our air space by 2036. By then, we have to ensure that all these aircraft are supported by the right workforce also.”
The requirement of pilots for the next ten years will be between 10,000 and 12,000. “On an average, through our Flying Training Organisations we are able to generate between 1500 and 1600 pilots per year” he elaborated.
“We are looking at creating more pilots of global standards within our country and more Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AMEs) too,” the aviation minister said. “The MoU with GSV will further enhance the technical workforce which is very important in the future for our sector.”
Aviation sector is the most progressive sector in the country which is growing at 10% to 12% every year. “Very rarely does any sector grow at such a pace and this is going to grow for the next 15 years,” he added. No other country is even close to the growth India is recording bearing in mind the huge population India has, he said.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw called upon GSV to create a Centre of Excellence within its premises to cater to the Manufacturing Technology sector. ”At least 1,000 students should receive quality training in manufacturing technology courses every year,” he said. The proposal was immediately okayed by the Aviation Minister whose consent he requested.
Pointing out that high precision is required in sectors like Aviation, Railways and Marine, Vaishnaw called for a blueprint to be developed jointly by Railways and Aviation officials. He also directed the GSV academia to follow the precision training standards of Germany, U S and Japan when designing the course urging them not to worry about the finances involved as it would be arranged.