New Delhi: The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA India) has raised grave concerns over the exorbitant training fees of Indian airlines, stating it is exploitation of aspiring pilots and a reason behind the continuing shortage of trained personnel in the aviation sector.
In a letter Minister of Civil Aviation, ALPA India referred to the financial burden imposed on the trainee pilots as ‘unethical profiteering’, making it increasingly difficult for a middle-class family to avail the training programmes. As per the DGCA, 1,342 commercial pilot licenses (CPLs) were issued in 2024, which was a 17 per cent drop from the previous record of 1,622 in 2023. Aviation expert Harsh Vardhan attributed the decline to airline collapses and limited new inductions, stating, “There is no absolute correlation year by year, as airlines plan hiring based on future expansion. When no new fleet emerges, induction slows down.” He emphasized that job availability and market demand play key roles in fluctuating pilot license numbers.
ALPA said Indian airlines, with their monopolitistic controls and cartelized schemes, have tried to deprive cadet pilots of their rights. ALPA India President Sam Thomas told ETV Bharat, “Airlines have cartelized and want to profit from free training credit they get when they order planes. Earlier, there was a system where airlines trained pilots and executed training bonds. However, airline training departments, in collaboration with unscrupulous HR divisions, started selling this training at exorbitant prices, leaving pilots in a cycle of debt and bonded labour.”
He further stated that it costs between Rs 30-35 lakh to acquire a Commercial Pilot Licence in India, while the type ratings for specific aircraft should charge no more than Rs 10-15 lakh on the upper end. However, cadet pilot training programmes in India, usually conducted by the airlines, charge between Rs 60 lakh and Rs 1.25 crore. “Unlike in Western countries, where cadet pilot programmes are subsidized or free, Indian airlines have devised these schemes to extract money from gullible students and their families,” he added.
Regulatory Lapses and ALPA’s Call for Action
According to ALPA, airlines have manipulated regulations to maintain inflated costs, while the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has turned a blind eye. “At this time, there does not seem to be any action from DGCA, even as we filed a complaint with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA),” said Thomas. “We took this action based on multiple complaints from pilots who were cheated by the now-defunct Go Air. We have found that the same executives from Go Air HR have moved to Star Air and are continuing these exploitative practices.” Cheap training programmes and increasing unemployment among pilots are factors which aggravate the situation. The fact that, over the years, approximately 23,000 CPLs have been issued by the DGCA makes it all the more disgustingly unbelievable, since hardly 11,000 pilots have been employed by the airlines, leaving about an equal number of qualified but jobless pilots. Some hold licences due to a system that expires a CPL if an aviator does not fly for five years or more, and some pilots have this extra cost to spend in retaining their licenses.
Admitting the stance of ALPA, Harsh Vardhan conceded that the industry remains influenced by market-driven factors. “The number of pilot licences issued in 2024 is lower than in 2023 due to restricted new inductions by airlines. Airlines had initially planned for larger recruitment, but with no new fleet additions, the need for pilots has dropped,” he told ETV Bharat. He also highlighted the changing dynamics between airlines and pilots. “Earlier, only airlines paid for conversion training, but when pilots started breaking contracts for lucrative jobs elsewhere, airlines shifted the cost to trainees. While the cost of training is undeniably high, one must consider the expenses airlines incur, such as transportation and free leaves during training,” Vardhan explained. “DGCA must create regulations ensuring fair pricing, but the perception that airlines alone are profiting from training costs may not be entirely justified,” he added
Pilot Salaries: A Myth of High Earnings?
One of the justifications airlines provide for high training fees is the supposed high salaries of pilots. However, ALPA refutes this claim, asserting that pilot wages in India are not as competitive as they are made out to be. “It is absolutely false to state that Indian pilot salaries are competitive. Airlines have cartelized to keep salaries low despite a shortage of experienced pilots,” Thomas stated. He pointed out that expatriate pilots working for Indian airlines earn nearly four times as much as their Indian counterparts. “Expats working under wet lease agreements get higher salaries with tax liabilities borne by airlines. Meanwhile, a pilot with 10 years of experience in India earns less than Rs 5 lakh per month post-tax, whereas pilots abroad earn nearly double or triple that amount due to lower taxes,” he explained.
It has become customary practice for salaries to be structured in a manner that most harms Indian pilots. Most airlines have continued to cut fixed salaries and are grooming pilots onto variable pay structures with impacts on their earnings. “A trainee pilot who pays Rs 1.25 crore for training may end up earning less than Rs 1 lakh per month post-tax. It would take 8-10 years just to recover their training costs,” Thomas emphasized.
Brain Drain and Stagnation in the Industry
The high cost of training and low salaries have led to a rise in brain drain, with many seeking better opportunities in other countries. ALPA believes this limited vision has pushed the pilot shortage in India for the last three decades, save for in Covid-19 years. The association has urged the government to take immediate action to address these issues. “DGCA must regulate cadet pilot programs, clamp down on fraudulent training institutes, and take proactive steps to protect aspiring pilots from falling into a debt trap,” Thomas said. ALPA has also called for financial institutions to provide education loans to aspiring pilots at reasonable interest rates. “Currently, most pilots rely on their parents’ lifetime savings or even pledge family assets to finance training. With airlines profiting at their expense, this system has become modern-day bonded labor,” Thomas concluded.