Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply that India’s six major domestic airlines have employed 13,989 pilots.
The composition of these pilots across the six companies is as follows:
- Air India: 6,350 pilots
- Air India Express: 1,592 pilots
- IndiGo: 5,085 cockpit crew
- Akasa: 466 pilots
- SpiceJet: 385 pilots
- Alliance Air (government-run): 111 pilots
Mohol added that the rate of employment among qualified pilots is dependent on market forces. He explained that airlines hire foreign pilots, inter alia, due to the requirement of a specific type-rated pilot in light of fleet expansions and time-bound operational requirements.
The minister assured that the flying training organisations (FTOs) are continuously upgrading their aircraft fleet by regularly inducting new training aircraft. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), he added, has facilitated the induction of 61 training aircraft by FTOs till November and has approved two FTOs in 2025. As of November 2025, India has 40 FTOs across 62 bases, as per Mohol.
In his response, Mohol also explained that the modernisation of flying-training infrastructure is market-dependent and is undertaken based on the commercial consideration of the FTOs. As such, the civil aviation ministry currently has no intervention in the same.
“However, India being an International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) member, DGCA aligns its training and regulatory framework to ICAO’s Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs). DGCA regularly assesses the quality and adequacy of flying training through a robust regulatory framework,” Mohol stated.
Mohol also revealed that the safety standards of the FTOs are reviewed continuously, in accordance with the published Annual Surveillance Plan of the DGCA. He added that special safety audits and spot checks are also carried out as and when needed.
