Extension of Expat pilots...
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Extension of Expat pilots...
NEW DELHI: After breathing down the neck of airlines over exorbitant spot fares, the government is all set to meet a key industry demand — letting expatriate pilots stay beyond the July 31, 2011, deadline of phasing them out. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has recommended "at least" two-year extension of this deadline to aviation ministry , while the industry was lobbying for a clean five year extension in one go.
Indian carriers and the two cargo airlines operating here — Blue Dart and Captain Gopinath's Deccan 360 — have told DGCA that they would collectively require 2,665 expat pilots till 2015. Airlines have told the ministry that unless the deadline is extended, substantial parts of their fleet would come to a grinding halt if the expats leave in go.
This issue was also discussed earlier this week at the aviation ministry's consultative committee meeting. "We are considering a two-year extension but no decision has been taken yet," aviation minister Praful Patel had said after the meeting. Extending expat pilots' stay in India has become a touchy issue due to two reasons: almost 4,500 desi commercial pilot licence holders are yet to find jobs after completing the training which cost them upwards of Rs 25 lakhs. Secondly, Indian pilots working with airlines complain that their career progression is suffering due to expats.
A senior ministry official said: "Airlines have always been reluctant to send back expats. That's why we made it mandatory for them to submit details of how they plan to hire, train and upgrade skills of Indian pilots so that expats are either not required or not in as many numbers as at present. Some may be required as airlines get types of aircraft that can be flown only by expats till Indian pilots are trained for that type of aircraft and get the necessary experience to be given the command of their flights for safety reasons."
On their part, airlines say they need expat commanders for their planes till such time that Indian co-pilots get the required experience to be promoted to that level.
"We cannot compromise with safety by suddenly phasing out expats and then having relatively inexperienced commanders and co-pilots flying aircraft ," said an airline chief executive officer.
Indian carriers and the two cargo airlines operating here — Blue Dart and Captain Gopinath's Deccan 360 — have told DGCA that they would collectively require 2,665 expat pilots till 2015. Airlines have told the ministry that unless the deadline is extended, substantial parts of their fleet would come to a grinding halt if the expats leave in go.
This issue was also discussed earlier this week at the aviation ministry's consultative committee meeting. "We are considering a two-year extension but no decision has been taken yet," aviation minister Praful Patel had said after the meeting. Extending expat pilots' stay in India has become a touchy issue due to two reasons: almost 4,500 desi commercial pilot licence holders are yet to find jobs after completing the training which cost them upwards of Rs 25 lakhs. Secondly, Indian pilots working with airlines complain that their career progression is suffering due to expats.
A senior ministry official said: "Airlines have always been reluctant to send back expats. That's why we made it mandatory for them to submit details of how they plan to hire, train and upgrade skills of Indian pilots so that expats are either not required or not in as many numbers as at present. Some may be required as airlines get types of aircraft that can be flown only by expats till Indian pilots are trained for that type of aircraft and get the necessary experience to be given the command of their flights for safety reasons."
On their part, airlines say they need expat commanders for their planes till such time that Indian co-pilots get the required experience to be promoted to that level.
"We cannot compromise with safety by suddenly phasing out expats and then having relatively inexperienced commanders and co-pilots flying aircraft ," said an airline chief executive officer.
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Question??
I fly a private jet in and out of India often...the aircraft has a Bermudian Reg. The pilots are not from India and we do not work for an Indian Company.
Why has it become more and more difficult for us to get an Indian Business Visa for our job??
I am not trying to stir the pot, just curious if our visa problems might have something to do with this current situation.
Cheers.
I fly a private jet in and out of India often...the aircraft has a Bermudian Reg. The pilots are not from India and we do not work for an Indian Company.
Why has it become more and more difficult for us to get an Indian Business Visa for our job??
I am not trying to stir the pot, just curious if our visa problems might have something to do with this current situation.
Cheers.
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Answer?
Incredibble India, worlds largest democracy and also largest discrepancy?
Who knows, fact is that not only India needs Expats for a longer time then they like. It is also a fact that in the past 5 years there where alot of CPL Holders produced in India and they are now all looking for a Job as well. Some of them have a SEP-CPL. Not cheap to train, what beancounter, (mostly Indian nationals) want to give the fellow Indians a Job? because it is cheaper to hire a ready entry Expat. So get the acts right, train them as equal as Pilots are trained anywhere else and don´t think on extracting money only from the company by maximising profitabilty. That money goes in Indian channels again as the Capital used in India needs to be indian.......
Blaming Expats is good within India, turn the coin and look on the other side as well. I am sure the Expats would also like to fly at theire home. One of my Colleagues is a Indian, he is Expat somewhere else. Funny, nobody asks him to leave where we work at the moment.
Clean the dirt on your own doorstep first and then blame others....
I am sure such thoughts contribute to the problem to get Indian business VISA in due time and not as easy as a few years back.
Fly safe and land happy, Merry Christmas
NG
Who knows, fact is that not only India needs Expats for a longer time then they like. It is also a fact that in the past 5 years there where alot of CPL Holders produced in India and they are now all looking for a Job as well. Some of them have a SEP-CPL. Not cheap to train, what beancounter, (mostly Indian nationals) want to give the fellow Indians a Job? because it is cheaper to hire a ready entry Expat. So get the acts right, train them as equal as Pilots are trained anywhere else and don´t think on extracting money only from the company by maximising profitabilty. That money goes in Indian channels again as the Capital used in India needs to be indian.......
Blaming Expats is good within India, turn the coin and look on the other side as well. I am sure the Expats would also like to fly at theire home. One of my Colleagues is a Indian, he is Expat somewhere else. Funny, nobody asks him to leave where we work at the moment.
Clean the dirt on your own doorstep first and then blame others....
I am sure such thoughts contribute to the problem to get Indian business VISA in due time and not as easy as a few years back.
Fly safe and land happy, Merry Christmas
NG
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I thought we only needed to enter on a GD as well, but that doesn't seem to work being a private aircraft......tried it once and was forced to buy a pricey 3 day visa in Dehli....
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With due respect since me a novice.&.. most of you seems well experienced in this field... I must say to be kind to a nationality or a nation.. don't point out fingers at Indian or India and how things n rules work here... Every government has to protect its nation interest first... be it USA.. which has hiked H1B visa fees to fund its security at Mexico border (As they portray) or for that matter all the controversies around outsourcing. N y only USA... even England has put a cap on doctors seek visa to work there.... in both the cases Indians have suffered...
So when these so called developed countries are looking for means to suck some money from foreign nationals.. then y not India which is way behind in terms of economic turn over, make some rules which can generate revenue for them...
Remember When you point one finger at others you are pointing three fingers at yourself.
So when these so called developed countries are looking for means to suck some money from foreign nationals.. then y not India which is way behind in terms of economic turn over, make some rules which can generate revenue for them...
Remember When you point one finger at others you are pointing three fingers at yourself.
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Terror.... You said it yourself.
The problem with India is they don't follow their own rules. A business visa is not required for aircrew working for a non Indian AOC holder.
He was on the GD and should of been granted entry on that basis. Instead a government official incorrectly advised him to obtain a visa that oes not even cover his purpose of visit.
PT6A
The problem with India is they don't follow their own rules. A business visa is not required for aircrew working for a non Indian AOC holder.
He was on the GD and should of been granted entry on that basis. Instead a government official incorrectly advised him to obtain a visa that oes not even cover his purpose of visit.
PT6A
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It is what it is.....maybe it will be worth it to just get that pricey one time visa several times vs waiting several weeks to get that 6 or 12 month multiple entry visa....I'm due soon, so we will see how it works it this time around.....
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Its India, if they want it get it, dont argue, just pay the money play the game, its their game, its your bosses money, it gets the job done...
Why waste brain cells thinking about and getting aggravated over something totally out of your control ?
Simple!
Why waste brain cells thinking about and getting aggravated over something totally out of your control ?
Simple!
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Well, it continues....unable to get the Indian Visa and also found out that we can no longer get those pricey one time visa's in Bombay....only Dehli......so bosses airplane can not go to Bombay next month where he does a lot of business....so much for the global economy....
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"We cannot compromise with safety by suddenly phasing out expats and then having relatively inexperienced commanders and co-pilots flying aircraft ," said an airline chief executive officer.
