Indian Aviation The Next Boom
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Indian Aviation The Next Boom
This is a topic I have been wanting to write about over the last few months. Indian aviation is witnessing its 3rd big boom.
- Most airlines have reported profits over the last few quarters
- Passenger growth is around 20% YoY , the highest in the world
India witnessed its first boom during the early 1990's when the government of India allowed private companies and foreign airlines to setup a scheduled airline in India. Back then we saw the birth of Jet Airways , Air Sahara, Modiluft , Damania , East West airlines etc.
Until the 1990's Indian pilots only had 2-3 airlines to choose as a career ( AI , IC or Vayudoot) and many pilots waited for years for their first job. The 1990's changed all that. And as with all booms many airlines wound up when asian financial crisis hit India by 1997. Only Jet Airways and Air Sahara survived.
It wasnt until early 2003 with rise of Air Deccan that we start to witness the beginning of the next boom. By 2004 many private companies start to apply for NOC for starting an airline and by 2005 we begin to witness the birth of new airlines like GoAir, SpiceJet, Kingfisher , Paramount , Air India Express.
An unknown company at the time calling itself IndiGo goes on to order 100 Airbus A320 the biggest aircraft order of its kind at the time. IndiGo starts operations by 2006.
This period i.e 2004 - early 2008 we witness the second boom. Indian aviation grew 40% and there was a huge pilot shortage. Many pilots who lost out on the last boom started to renew their licenses and found jobs with ease. Pilots were being offered jobs even before graduating flight schools. The Indian govt at the time reduced the number of hours needed to obtain CPL from 250 to 200.
Many Indians switched careers in order to pursue their childhood dreams of becoming a pilot.
This was the first time that Indian operators started the concept of cadet pilot programs. But one had to to pay for the entire cost of training to obtain the CPL unlike cadet pilot programs one sees in the west.
Spicejet started the practise and Kingfisher and IndiGo followed suit. Air India too started one at the time.
As with all booms this too turned into a bust. While Indian aviation boomed it was mostly a profitless boom. By early 2008 recruitments started to slow down and the oil price hike and the financial crisis of 2008 put an end to that boom.
By 2008 Kingfisher airlines merged with Air Deccan and had combined fleet of 80+ aircraft
This resulted in a large number of unemployed pilots many of which are still unemployed today. All the airlines ended their cadet programs. IndiGo too ended theirs but relaunched it in June 2011.
Things started to pick up slowly in early 2010 with a few vacancies here and there. It remained the same till 2014. Airlines like Kingfisher and Paramount shut down. The Kingfisher shut down affected the unemployment situation of pilots as 66 airplanes and the jobs associated with it disappeared overnight.
Naturally other airlines picked some of the experienced pilots from Kingfisher which further delayed employment opportunities.
Airlines like IndiGo continued to recruit and grow but not enough to make a dent in the large number of unemployed pilots.
Other airlines had some recruitments here and there but again in very small numbers.
2010 onwards also saw the average Indian CPL holder start doing type rating without job offers. Until then doing a type rating without a job offer was largely unheard of in Indian Aviation
The kingfisher crisis convinced the government of India to once again open up the skies to foreign airlines and we saw the likes of AirAsia and Vistara startup.
The year 2015 has proved itself to become a landmark year for Indian Aviation.
There has been a large number of vacancies in the year 2015. Here are most of them.
1. GoAir A320 rated ( Feb 2015 )
2. IndiGo CPL exam. 300+ candidates will be selected ( Feb 2015 )
3. Air India 320 rated ( April 2015)
4. IndiGo 320 rated (April 2015)
5. SpiceJet Internal exam for CPL ( May 2015 )
6. AirAsia 320 rated twice in the year 2015
7. Alliance Air ATR rated ( June 2015 )
8. GoAir 320 rated ( August 2015 )
9. Air India Express Campus Placement IGRUA ( August 2015)
10. Air India CPL exam ( October 2015)
11. SpiceJet CPL exam ( December 2015)
12. Jet Airways 737 rated ( December 2015)
12. Vistara 320 rated (December 2015)
13. Quikjet Cargo 737 rated exam
In between all these IndiGo conducted some internal exams and airlines like TruJet, AirPegasus and Blue Dart recruited CPL holders as well.
Pretty much everyone that had an AOP conducted some exam or the other. While the IndiGo is still conducting interviews they are due to finish the final interviews by April 2015.
As of 2016 we have 3 vacancies so far.
1. Jet Airways ads for 737 and turboprop rated.
2. Air India's massive vacancy for 320 rated ( around 534 vacancies). Air India wont be able to fill this vacancy as there are not that many type rated candidates available in the market. They will have to come soon for CPL holders as well.
3. Blue Dart exam for experienced pilots in Jan 2016
As you can see this is only the beginning.
IndiGo will have to come with another exam as they will need hundreds of pilots in order to man the huge aircraft numbers on order.
Air India should come with more vacancies as well since they are planning to expand both the 320 fleet and the regional fleet of Alliance Air as well.
Other airlines should be expanding as well so we should see lots of vacancies there as well
A few tips to my fellow pilots.
- If your licenses and medical are expiring or expired renew them as soon as possible
- If your RT is expiring do whats necessary to renew it as RT renewal can be much harder than CPL renewal.
- If you dont have a multi IR or 25 multi please get them at the earliest. Everytime an airline comes with a vacancy that needs multi IR I can see pilots running around at the last moment.
-Pass your ATPL papers.
- Get the ELP ( English Language Proficiency ) endorsed on the license if you haven't already done so.
- Start studying your books or keep revising the material. Competition is still going to be tough for jobs.
I wish everyone the best of luck
Here is to an exciting 2016
- Most airlines have reported profits over the last few quarters
- Passenger growth is around 20% YoY , the highest in the world
India witnessed its first boom during the early 1990's when the government of India allowed private companies and foreign airlines to setup a scheduled airline in India. Back then we saw the birth of Jet Airways , Air Sahara, Modiluft , Damania , East West airlines etc.
Until the 1990's Indian pilots only had 2-3 airlines to choose as a career ( AI , IC or Vayudoot) and many pilots waited for years for their first job. The 1990's changed all that. And as with all booms many airlines wound up when asian financial crisis hit India by 1997. Only Jet Airways and Air Sahara survived.
It wasnt until early 2003 with rise of Air Deccan that we start to witness the beginning of the next boom. By 2004 many private companies start to apply for NOC for starting an airline and by 2005 we begin to witness the birth of new airlines like GoAir, SpiceJet, Kingfisher , Paramount , Air India Express.
An unknown company at the time calling itself IndiGo goes on to order 100 Airbus A320 the biggest aircraft order of its kind at the time. IndiGo starts operations by 2006.
This period i.e 2004 - early 2008 we witness the second boom. Indian aviation grew 40% and there was a huge pilot shortage. Many pilots who lost out on the last boom started to renew their licenses and found jobs with ease. Pilots were being offered jobs even before graduating flight schools. The Indian govt at the time reduced the number of hours needed to obtain CPL from 250 to 200.
Many Indians switched careers in order to pursue their childhood dreams of becoming a pilot.
This was the first time that Indian operators started the concept of cadet pilot programs. But one had to to pay for the entire cost of training to obtain the CPL unlike cadet pilot programs one sees in the west.
Spicejet started the practise and Kingfisher and IndiGo followed suit. Air India too started one at the time.
As with all booms this too turned into a bust. While Indian aviation boomed it was mostly a profitless boom. By early 2008 recruitments started to slow down and the oil price hike and the financial crisis of 2008 put an end to that boom.
By 2008 Kingfisher airlines merged with Air Deccan and had combined fleet of 80+ aircraft
This resulted in a large number of unemployed pilots many of which are still unemployed today. All the airlines ended their cadet programs. IndiGo too ended theirs but relaunched it in June 2011.
Things started to pick up slowly in early 2010 with a few vacancies here and there. It remained the same till 2014. Airlines like Kingfisher and Paramount shut down. The Kingfisher shut down affected the unemployment situation of pilots as 66 airplanes and the jobs associated with it disappeared overnight.
Naturally other airlines picked some of the experienced pilots from Kingfisher which further delayed employment opportunities.
Airlines like IndiGo continued to recruit and grow but not enough to make a dent in the large number of unemployed pilots.
Other airlines had some recruitments here and there but again in very small numbers.
2010 onwards also saw the average Indian CPL holder start doing type rating without job offers. Until then doing a type rating without a job offer was largely unheard of in Indian Aviation
The kingfisher crisis convinced the government of India to once again open up the skies to foreign airlines and we saw the likes of AirAsia and Vistara startup.
The year 2015 has proved itself to become a landmark year for Indian Aviation.
There has been a large number of vacancies in the year 2015. Here are most of them.
1. GoAir A320 rated ( Feb 2015 )
2. IndiGo CPL exam. 300+ candidates will be selected ( Feb 2015 )
3. Air India 320 rated ( April 2015)
4. IndiGo 320 rated (April 2015)
5. SpiceJet Internal exam for CPL ( May 2015 )
6. AirAsia 320 rated twice in the year 2015
7. Alliance Air ATR rated ( June 2015 )
8. GoAir 320 rated ( August 2015 )
9. Air India Express Campus Placement IGRUA ( August 2015)
10. Air India CPL exam ( October 2015)
11. SpiceJet CPL exam ( December 2015)
12. Jet Airways 737 rated ( December 2015)
12. Vistara 320 rated (December 2015)
13. Quikjet Cargo 737 rated exam
In between all these IndiGo conducted some internal exams and airlines like TruJet, AirPegasus and Blue Dart recruited CPL holders as well.
Pretty much everyone that had an AOP conducted some exam or the other. While the IndiGo is still conducting interviews they are due to finish the final interviews by April 2015.
As of 2016 we have 3 vacancies so far.
1. Jet Airways ads for 737 and turboprop rated.
2. Air India's massive vacancy for 320 rated ( around 534 vacancies). Air India wont be able to fill this vacancy as there are not that many type rated candidates available in the market. They will have to come soon for CPL holders as well.
3. Blue Dart exam for experienced pilots in Jan 2016
As you can see this is only the beginning.
IndiGo will have to come with another exam as they will need hundreds of pilots in order to man the huge aircraft numbers on order.
Air India should come with more vacancies as well since they are planning to expand both the 320 fleet and the regional fleet of Alliance Air as well.
Other airlines should be expanding as well so we should see lots of vacancies there as well
A few tips to my fellow pilots.
- If your licenses and medical are expiring or expired renew them as soon as possible
- If your RT is expiring do whats necessary to renew it as RT renewal can be much harder than CPL renewal.
- If you dont have a multi IR or 25 multi please get them at the earliest. Everytime an airline comes with a vacancy that needs multi IR I can see pilots running around at the last moment.
-Pass your ATPL papers.
- Get the ELP ( English Language Proficiency ) endorsed on the license if you haven't already done so.
- Start studying your books or keep revising the material. Competition is still going to be tough for jobs.
I wish everyone the best of luck
Here is to an exciting 2016
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Hey
Very well said Cyril. Things do look optimistic now. By the way I have come across this ad of new airline in North West. It goes by the name Fly Hornbill. A friend of mine forwarded me this ad.
Any one got any inputs about it?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8myj5yrjif...A0008.jpg?dl=0
Very well said Cyril. Things do look optimistic now. By the way I have come across this ad of new airline in North West. It goes by the name Fly Hornbill. A friend of mine forwarded me this ad.
Any one got any inputs about it?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8myj5yrjif...A0008.jpg?dl=0
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This is the standard response u receive when u email them
This is the standard response u receive when u email them.
" Dear Candidate
We acknowledge receipt of your resume for the post of Ab – initio Pilots. We would like to take this opportunity to explain to you the terms and conditions and the process of induction into Fly Hornbill.
1. All Ab – initio Pilots would be required to bear and pay for the cost of training which is currently estimated at INR 40 (Forty) lac. If you are willing to pay for the Training cost, you will be required to confirm the same in writing.
2. Upon receipt of confirmation from you that you are willing to bear and pay for cost of your training, you will be called for the next part induction process which will include a written test/Face to Face interview.
3. On successfully clearing the written test/interview, you will be offered the position of “Trainee First Officer”.
4. You will, thereafter, be required to pay in full the Training Cost.
Only upon receipt of payment by the Company, you will be slotted for Training.
In case you are agreeable to all of the above, you will be required to reply to this mail for further processing from our end.
HR Department
Fly Hornbill "
So if u hv 40 lakhs ready cash to blow .. go for it :P
" Dear Candidate
We acknowledge receipt of your resume for the post of Ab – initio Pilots. We would like to take this opportunity to explain to you the terms and conditions and the process of induction into Fly Hornbill.
1. All Ab – initio Pilots would be required to bear and pay for the cost of training which is currently estimated at INR 40 (Forty) lac. If you are willing to pay for the Training cost, you will be required to confirm the same in writing.
2. Upon receipt of confirmation from you that you are willing to bear and pay for cost of your training, you will be called for the next part induction process which will include a written test/Face to Face interview.
3. On successfully clearing the written test/interview, you will be offered the position of “Trainee First Officer”.
4. You will, thereafter, be required to pay in full the Training Cost.
Only upon receipt of payment by the Company, you will be slotted for Training.
In case you are agreeable to all of the above, you will be required to reply to this mail for further processing from our end.
HR Department
Fly Hornbill "
So if u hv 40 lakhs ready cash to blow .. go for it :P
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So we aren't seeing loads of new aircraft delivered to these airlines, so why do they need pilots...where are the captains and fo's going that need replacing???
We all know where ...so no need to answer that.
But hiring doesn't mean that aviation is booming in India...
We all know where ...so no need to answer that.
But hiring doesn't mean that aviation is booming in India...
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@itsbrokenagain
IndiGo is mostly responsible for the massive movement within the industry. And there is good reason why. By April 2017 their fleet size will grow from 100 aircraft today to 134 aircraft ( assuming aircraft deliveries are not delayed by Airbus )
They are adding the same number of airplanes in one year which is the same as the combined fleet of GoAir (19) + Vistara (9) + AirAsia India(6) today.
IndiGo even paid off the bonds for some A320 first officers in Air India so that they could leave and join IndiGo at the earliest.
GoAir is an another airline that would be expanding rapidly considering the 72 A320 NEO's on order.
Air India has signed a lease for 14 A320 NEO and is now again looking for another 15 A320 a mix of CEO and NEO.
SpiceJet which came back from its near death experience is also looking to expand rapidly . Its load factors have been 90% or above consistently for the last few months and has been reporting profits for the last few quarters.
India retains title of fastest growing aviation market | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis
If the Government removes the 5/20 rule to fly abroad then Vistara and AirAsia India should expand rapidly as well.
Large number of pilot recruiting agencies are looking for Expat Captains/ TRI/ TRE to fly for the airlines in India.
My only fear the is the further devaluation of the Indian Rupee against the U.S Dollar which can hamper the profitability of the airlines since 70% of their costs are linked to the U.S Dollar.
IndiGo is mostly responsible for the massive movement within the industry. And there is good reason why. By April 2017 their fleet size will grow from 100 aircraft today to 134 aircraft ( assuming aircraft deliveries are not delayed by Airbus )
They are adding the same number of airplanes in one year which is the same as the combined fleet of GoAir (19) + Vistara (9) + AirAsia India(6) today.
IndiGo even paid off the bonds for some A320 first officers in Air India so that they could leave and join IndiGo at the earliest.
GoAir is an another airline that would be expanding rapidly considering the 72 A320 NEO's on order.
Air India has signed a lease for 14 A320 NEO and is now again looking for another 15 A320 a mix of CEO and NEO.
SpiceJet which came back from its near death experience is also looking to expand rapidly . Its load factors have been 90% or above consistently for the last few months and has been reporting profits for the last few quarters.
India retains title of fastest growing aviation market | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis
If the Government removes the 5/20 rule to fly abroad then Vistara and AirAsia India should expand rapidly as well.
Large number of pilot recruiting agencies are looking for Expat Captains/ TRI/ TRE to fly for the airlines in India.
My only fear the is the further devaluation of the Indian Rupee against the U.S Dollar which can hamper the profitability of the airlines since 70% of their costs are linked to the U.S Dollar.
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crude is trading around $30/barrel(having fallen from $140/barrel).yes,the depreciated rupee is offsetting the gains.but neverthless focus is back on capacity, as illustrated by the current and forecast load factors.
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6E has 500xA320s on order. Read 30% of AI pilots will retire over next year. It plans to add net 14 x A320s (from current 66 to 80).
So definitely there is need for pilots Indian.
Having said that India is not hiring expats in large numbers, so little incentive to talk good about Indian aviation irrespective of local boom.
Boom for natives, what is my cut.
So definitely there is need for pilots Indian.
Having said that India is not hiring expats in large numbers, so little incentive to talk good about Indian aviation irrespective of local boom.
Boom for natives, what is my cut.
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Do read this article . It gives an insight to how Indian Aviation has progressed over the last 15 years
The Indian Aviation 2015 growth story deciphered | The Flying Engineer
The Indian Aviation 2015 growth story deciphered | The Flying Engineer
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Jet to hire 400 Pilots in the next 18 months
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Greetings all !
GoAir conducted a type rated exam yesterday, 150 odd candidates turned up. Is this still a good time to get rated on the 320, or is the ATR a sound option?
GoAir conducted a type rated exam yesterday, 150 odd candidates turned up. Is this still a good time to get rated on the 320, or is the ATR a sound option?
