India is turning away American pilots over age 60, in spite of a need for qualified pilots. The country is currently seeing an aviation boom (civil aviation, there, is enjoying a 37-percent growth rate) and a pilot crunch, but that doesn’t mean they want to fill the ranks with American pilots over the age of 60. The country has made a regulatory decision to stop issuing certificates to American pilots over the age of 60 — Indian pilots may fly to age 65. India expects 350 million air travelers by 2020 (the number was closer to 75 million in 2006) and has the fastest-growing number of air passengers in the world.
As a result, the decision to turn away qualified pilots is viewed by some as not in India’s own interests.
