India might require over 30,000 pilots, some 26,000 mechanics in 20 years: Boeing

Speaking on the sidelinesof an event organised by theConfederation of Indian Industry (CII), the United States-based aircraft makerBoeing said that India might require 31,000 pilots and around 26,000 mechanics over the next two decades amid the growing order book of the aircraft original equipment manufacturers, said a report by news agency PTI.

“India is going to need over 31,000 pilots and 26,000 mechanics over the next 20 years to take care of the aircraft coming in. This is as important a part of the Indian growth story as the aircraft (orders),” Boeing India President Salil Gupte told reporters. He also spoke about how the South Asian region is expected to remain the fastest-growing market globally over the next several years.

Gupte also seemingly hailed the government’s move to let the Tata Group take over Air India and said it will transform the Indian aerospace industry. This comes months after the now Tata Group-owned Air India placed an order of 470 planes with both Boeing and European aviation giantAirbus. Speaking about the order, Gupte said, it is a massive deal for India as a nation and that the country is getting representation on the global stage, reported PTI.

Boeing’s India president also said that considering the country’s air traffic growth, the focus should be on making infrastructure robust, both hard infrastructure which includes airports as well as critical infrastructure, which includes pilots and so on.

India is a huge market for Boeing's narrow-body aircraft, said Gupte adding that at least 90 per cent of the market in the next two decadesis going to be a narrow body market and "we expect we will be successful in competing for those every single campaign (aircraft order).”

“India is the gateway like China and once it will grow to be (in) the top four economies of the world, it will be more than a hub,” said Boeing India’s president, as per PTI, and spoke about how New Delhi will become more than a hub for aviation given its sheer size and scale as the country’s economy grow.

(With inputs from agencies)

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