Nearly 500 foreign pilots are currently working in various Indian aviation companies with Jet Airways topping the list of recruiters, the government said today.
These details were given by Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh in response to a question in Lok Sabha.
The government had allowed airlines to hire foreign aircrew to meet the shortage of pilots, Singh said.
Of the 497 pilots working with Indian companies, 183 work for Jet Airways, followed by Indigo Airlines 90.
Spice Jet employs 88 expat pilots while Kingfisher employs 15 and Air India 14. Blue Dart and Alliance Air employ 7 foreign pilots each while 3 more are working for Go Airlines, Ajit Singh said.
The Civil Aviation minister said that 90 expat pilots work for other non-scheduled operators.
"To cover the shortage of type rated commanders, Foreign Aircrew Temporary Authorisation (FATA) policy has been reviewed. Foreign Aircrew Temporary Authorisation (FATA) policy provides for extension up to 31st December 2013 on case to case basis," the minister said.
