The government informed Parliament that India’s six major domestic airlines collectively employed 13,989 pilots as IndiGo faces severe operational disruption.
The figure aims to highlight that pilot availability is not uniformly lacking, amid public outcry over cancelled flights and travel chaos.
Official Breakdown of Pilot Strength
- Air India employs 6,350 pilots and its low-cost arm Air India Express has 1,592. Leading low-cost carrier IndiGo accounts for 5,085 cockpit crew.
- Akasa Air has 466 pilots, while SpiceJet employs 385. The government-run Alliance Air has 111 pilots on its roster.
- Officials added that employment among qualified pilots fluctuates with market demand and that pilot hiring including induction of training aircraft by flying-training organisations (FTOs) continues under the oversight of the regulatory body DGCA.
Why this matter amid IndiGo’s Crisis?
The disclosure comes while IndiGo grapples with mass cancellations and schedule disruptions triggered by new crew rest regulations.
The government appears to be suggesting that the airline situation may not be strictly due to overall pilot scarcity but could stem from uneven distribution of crew across carriers, last-minute roster mismanagement, or regulatory compliance failures.
While the total pilot strength across major airlines seems sufficient, the current chaos at IndiGo reflects deeper structural issues including planning failures and rigid timelines.
The numbers may reassure the public, but restoring stability will require better allocation, scheduling and perhaps regulatory flexibility.
