Boeing has stated that India may require 31,000 pilots and 26,000 mechanics over the next 20 years due to the increasing order book of aircraft original equipment manufacturers.
Boeing India President Salil Gupte also stated on the sidelines of a CII event here that the South Asian region is expected to remain the fastest-growing market globally over the next several years.
The government’s courage in privatizing Air India and allowing Tata Group to take over the airlines will transform the Indian aerospace industry, he claims.
“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),” Gupte told reporters.
Given India’s increasing air traffic, he believes that much emphasis should be placed on strengthening infrastructure, both hard infrastructure such as airports and critical infrastructure such as pilots.
Tata Group-owned Air India announced last month that it had placed orders for 470 planes with both Boeing and European aviation giant Airbus.
Gupte described Air India’s mega aircraft deal with Boeing as a massive deal for India as a nation, adding that India is getting a presence on the global stage.
Boeing projected India’s air traffic growth to be around 7% through 2040 in September.
He also stated that the recovery in air travel demand following the pandemic has stunned the world, and Boeing does not see the financial crisis having any impact on air travel growth.
It is “too early to know what the consequences of the bank situation of the US and Europe and others are going to be. At this stage, we really see no slowdown in the demand for aviation,” Gupte added.
Boeing has a large market in India for narrow-body aircraft, he said, adding that “(as much as) 90% of the market over the next 20 years will be a narrow body market, and we expect to be successful in competing for every single campaign (aircraft order).”
Gupte also stated that Boeing is the global leader in the wide-body (twin aisle) aircraft segment and will remain so in all markets, including India.
