Air India, the cash strapped national carrier, has spent over Rs 8 cr to train 31 additional pilots above what it needed in 2012. And this in spite of the financial woes that have been hounding the carrier, which is trying to improve operational efficiency and is adopting various cost cutting strategies. "Out of the 31 pilots, 22 were trained for Boeing 777 and nine for Boeing 744," said a senior official on the condition of anonymity. Air India was facing a shortage of 99 pilots for Boeing 777 in 2012, however, it chose to train a total of 121 pilots for B-777.
Currently, Air India has 20 Boeing 777 aircraft, for which a total of 396 pilots including commanders and first officers are required. The current strength of pilots available for Boeing 777 is 297.
For the five Boeing 744s, the airline requires 34 pilots, while it actually has one surplus. Apart from the single extra pilot, the airline is also training 10 additional flying officers for the aircraft.
According to the official, the estimated cost for training a set of crew comprising two pilots is Rs 54,00,000. So for 31 pilots, the cost would be over Rs 8 cr 10 lakh. "The 31 pilots were clubbed into a crew of two. If the training is done domestically, the training fee is computed according to per hour rate," the official added.
"A pilot requires approximately 20 sessions to complete his training, with each session consisting of six hours. Each hour costs anywhere between Rs 21,600 and Rs 32,400," the official told The Sunday Guardian.
It is to be noted that aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation has not made it mandatory for any carrier to train additional pilots. Air India did not comment on the matter.
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