13,989 pilots employed by 6 major domestic airlines: Govt
Mumbai (PTI): Six major domestic airlines have employed 13,989 pilots, with Air India and its low-cost arm, Air India Express, having 6,350 and 1,592 pilots respectively and IndiGo having 5,085 cockpit crew, Parliament was informed on Monday.
The number of pilots at Akasa is 466 and at SpiceJet, it is 385, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
The government-run Alliance Air has employed 111 pilots, he added.
The minister said the rate of employment among qualified pilots is dependent on market forces.
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He said the rationale behind airlines hiring foreign pilots, inter alia, is the requirement of a specific type-rated pilot in light of fleet expansions and time-bound operational requirements.
Mohol also said the flying training organisations (FTOs) are continuously upgrading their aircraft fleet by regularly inducting training aircraft fleets.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has facilitated the induction of 61 training aircraft by FTOs till November, he said, adding that the civil aviation regulator has approved two FTOs in 2025.
As of November 2025, India has 40 FTOs operating across 62 bases, Mohol said.
He said the modernisation of flying-training infrastructure is market dependent and undertaken on the basis of the commercial consideration of the FTOs, adding that the civil aviation ministry currently has no intervention in the same.
"However, India being an ICAO member, DGCA aligns its training and regulatory framework to ICAO's Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs). DGCA regularly assesses the quality and adequacy of flying training through robust regulatory framework," Mohol said.
A continued review of safety standards is undertaken during the surveillance of these FTOs, in accordance with the published Annual Surveillance Plan of the DGCA, the minister said. Special safety audits and spot checks are also carried out as and when needed, he added.
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Bumrah doubtful for India's T20 World Cup opener against USA
Mumbai (PTI): India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is doubtful for the team’s opening T20 World Cup match against the United States on Saturday after feeling slightly under the weather and skipping the training session the previous evening.
With the opening fixture expected to be a one-sided affair, the Indian team management is in no mood to take any risk with its most important fast bowler at the very start of a long campaign, it is learnt.
Bumrah, central to India’s white-ball plans, did not bowl at the nets on Friday, prompting speculation that he could be rested purely as a precautionary measure. He was running a bit of temperature.
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In case the 32-year-old fails to recover in time, Mohammed Siraj, who joined the squad on Friday evening, is expected to slot into the playing XI.
However, with Hardik Pandya likely to share the new ball, Siraj might have to operate as the first-change bowler.
India have a packed group schedule with matches lined up on February 12 against Namibia, on February 15 against Pakistan and on February 18 versus Holland.
The Pakistan fixture remains doubtful due to the prevailing uncertainty, making the USA contest largely inconsequential in the larger scheme of things.
Given the heavy workload ahead and tougher opponents to follow, resting Bumrah against a relatively inexperienced side appears the most sensible option.
The team management feels that preserving Bumrah for the business end of the tournament is paramount.
