'MYFLEDGE' to offer commercial pilot license programmes

New Delhi: One of the fastest growing industries in the country today is the Civil Aviation Industry. It has become the third largest domestic aviation market in the world. In the next four years, this industry is going to witness tremendous growth with the development of airport infrastructure and the aviation navigation services are expected to develop multifold by 2026. In the current economic situation, finding the perfect job that accelerates your career is a challenge. The aviation industry hardly disappoints enthusiasts. Good pilots are always sought after because this is a creme-de-la-creme niche, eligibility for which has a narrow window. Pilots are also the highest paid personnel in the Aviation sector. The biggest paradox here is many enthusiastic aspirants dreaming of soaring in the sky, shy away from pursuing this dream along with worries of eligibility. Some shy away, thinking that the trade-off between flight training costs and the immediate starting pay is not as rewarding as their dream. Some desert their dream as it takes too long to reach the apex level of the aviation hierarchy. Some list out location constraints, while some say it is the lack of good training.

Piyalee Chatterjee Ghosh busts these myths with her encouraging reply to aspiring pilots, saying, "Aviation is a career where you should not focus on the next 12 months, but instead on the next 40 years. The cumulative remuneration and growth beat any other career avenue." She adds, "It takes a minimum of two years to train a pilot, more likely three. There are also stipulated requirements for re-training at several milestones. That is exactly what makes the job more gratifying. The opportunity to keep learning what you love and keep getting better at it is always there."

The industry is thriving with India making commercial pilot licenses easier and faster to acquire to beat the shortage in airlines. India is estimated to have nearly 8,000 pilots for over 650 commercial aircraft fleets. The growth rate of the commercial aircraft fleet has led to an increase in the demand for over 28,000 pilots over the next two decades. There are over 400 expat pilots in India. Pilots themselves appear to be reasonably optimistic about medium- term job prospects. A poll of 2,600 commercial pilots was carried out last October by recruitment agency GOOSE with Flight Global Poll which indicated that 72 per cent think the industry will recover to its 2019 peak within three years. Two in three believe that by the middle of the decade, there will be a shortage of pilots.