U.S. ATPs who hit the age 60 wall at home can be flying for a living again in “a few days” in India thanks to a new certification process there. India is scrambling for qualified pilots as its industry grows and the deep well of experience from the U.S. is an obvious target (since Congress hasn’t yet dealt with its own plans to raise the mandatory retirement age to 65). “In most countries, pilots from the U.S. who have crossed 60 years are allowed to fly anyway,” unnamed “officials” told Daily News and Analysis, under the headline “Soon, More Senior Citizen Pilots In Indian Skies”.
Although India has been aggressively trying to train its own pilots, the rapid growth of airline travel in the emerging economic giant has outstripped demand. The industry needs 4,754 pilots but only has 3,950 homegrown pilots. “The shortfall is being met with foreign pilots. Currently, 804 foreign pilots are employed with various airlines,” Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel told the news service.
