The Hindu Business Line : Air Force pilots opting for civil aviation sector

VERY soon, if you take a flight from India, you may find that an ace Indian Air Force fighter pilot is in command of your airplane. The recent boom in the aviation sector has opened up new employment opportunities and a number of Air Force pilots are joining the existing or the new companies.

Just recently, about 15 IAF pilots have left the service to join various airlines and some five more have put in their papers. The batch of 15 includes both fighter and transport aircraft pilots since the IAF traditionally has more fighter pilots on its rolls.

Talking to Business Line, the Managing Director of Air Deccan, Captain G.R. Gopinath, said that his airline had already employed 15-20 Air Force pilots. "We have taken Air Force pilots, even some of whom were flying fighter aircraft. They have been sent for training either to Toulouse in France or the US," he said.

The Chairman and Managing Director, Air India, Mr V. Thulsidas, confirmed that the national carrier had been recruiting Air Force pilots for some time now. "I recently met the Air Force chief and had discussions for recruiting IAF pilots. AI has always taken IAF pilots. But we are also looking to recruit from the open market," he added. A spokesperson for Air Sahara confirmed that they too had received several applications from IAF pilots. "One of the biggest advantages of taking IAF pilots is that they are skilled and have lots of flying hours to their credit. Besides, they are also trained to operate in difficult situations," the airline President, Mr Ronojoy Dutta, added.

Mr Parvez Damania of Kingfisher Airlines added that his airline had also employed some pilots from the IAF who had been released from service. ``We are sending these pilots to various training centres around the world," he said.

Not just pilots, the aviation boom is opening up jobs for other categories too. While the domestic private players will be picking up a number of young professionals for various posts in the aviation business, the British airline, Virgin Atlantic Airways, plans to employ more cabin crew from India.

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