India has over 11,000 airline pilots, nearly 1,900 women: Government

India has over 11,000 pilots working with major domestic airlines, including nearly 1,900 women, the government informed Parliament. IndiGo employs the highest number of pilots, while DGCA has proposed stricter regulations for foreign airlines operating in India.

New Delhi: India currently has more than 11,000 pilots working with major domestic airlines, with nearly 1,900 of them being women, the Parliament was informed on Thursday.

In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said that Indian airlines together employ 11,394 pilots, including 1,871 female pilots.

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Among the airlines, IndiGo has the highest number of pilots in the country. The airline employs a total of 5,200 pilots, including 970 women.

“Air India is the second-largest employer of pilots with 3,123 pilots, including 508 female pilots,” the minister stated.

Air India Express has 1,820 pilots, including 234 women, while Akasa Air employs 761 pilots, of whom 76 are women.

SpiceJet has 375 pilots with 58 women, and Alliance Air employs 115 pilots, including 25 female pilots.

The government also shared details of foreign pilots hired by Indian airlines. According to the data, Alliance Air employs 15 foreign pilots, Air India Express has hired 48, and IndiGo has 29 foreign pilots working with the airline.

The pilot-to-aircraft ratio also varies across airlines. SpiceJet has the highest ratio at 9.4 pilots per aircraft, followed by Akasa Air at 9.33 and Air India at 9.1.

Air India Express has a ratio of 8.8, while IndiGo’s pilot-to-aircraft ratio stands at 7.6. Alliance Air has the lowest ratio among the airlines at six pilots per aircraft.

The government said these numbers reflect the current strength of pilots across major Indian airlines and provide an overview of workforce distribution in the country’s aviation sector.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, DGCA has proposed to tighten rules for foreign airlines operating to and from India, including mandatory digital registration, stronger legal accountability for local representatives, and putting in place a formal passenger grievance reporting system.

In a draft aeronautical information circular issued by the regulator on Wednesday, seeks to strengthen the civil aviation regulator’s oversight of foreign airlines.