The Centre is intensifying its effort to stall the flight of the armed forces’ pilots into civil aviation sector.
NEW DELHI: The Centre is intensifying its effort to stall the flight of the armed forces’ pilots, especially those from the Indian Air Force, into the civil aviation sector. Among the proposals being considered are a set of guidelines that will allow IAF pilots to offer their services to state-run airlines.
Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that the government is considering a proposal to “allow air force pilots to go on deputation in government-run airlines”.
But a defence ministry source said there would be a provision to permit at least those IAF pilots
who have no promotion prospects to join Indian or Air-India.
The initiative is a reaction to the alarming increase in number of pilots defecting to the private sector for lucrative salaries. It costs several crores to train an IAF pilot.
The Centre hopes that salaries in state-run airlines, which are appreciably higher than what is offered by the armed forces, will be an adequate inducement for pilots to remain in the government realm.
The source said that if the government fails to develop a rational compensation structure for pilots who are denied the premature-retirement option, the civil courts would be engulfed in a spate of litigations.
Sources in the navy and other government agencies say the lure of the private sector is not limited to the IAF. Several pilots in the navy are keen to leave the service. Other agencies such as the Border Security Force and Aviation Research Centre are contending with a severe pilot shortage.
The government told Parliament on Thursday that in the past three years, 246 IAF pilots have taken premature retirement. In 2005 the figure was down to 58 from 116 in the previous year. The decrease, however, is attributed to the IAF’s move to make the rules more stringent. At any rate, many fliers are “waiting at the doorstep”, an IAF pilot, who wants to quit the force, said. A navy source said a “substantial” number of its pilots would quit if permitted.
IAF’s pilot paucity:
Authorised strength: 3,269 pilots
Current strength: 3,015 pilots
Training Cost: From NDA cadets to pilots
Fighter: Rs885.18 lakh
Transport: Rs368.11 lakh
Helicopter: Rs235.69 lakh
Training cost of non-NDA cadets
Fighter: Rs886.3 lakh
Transport: Rs369.23 lakh
Helicopter Rs236.82 lakh
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