World-wide, the business of aircraft maintenance is enormous, and is set to expand. The approximate number of aeroplanes currently in service world-wide is around 500,000 passenger and cargo aircraft and about four million smaller private aircraft used for business or pleasure.
India is one of the fastest developing countries in the world. Due to the liberalisation policies of the government, there is tremendous growth in civil aviation. Many private airlines and corporations viz., Air India, Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Air Sahara and Air Deccan are operating today with very good operating revenues. To meet the growing need of the passenger airlines, cargo aircrafts, private air taxi operators, business and corporate jets, there exists an urgent need for aircraft maintenance engineers. The aviation industry has two main branches: flying branch and maintenance branch. While pilots fly the aircraft, aircraft maintenance engineers are concerned with the maintenance of the aircraft. An aircraft maintenance engineer has to obtain a licence from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). 21/04/12 Times of India
News Date : 4/1/2012
Source : Times of India
Air India Express to hire 40 expat commanders
Mumabi: Air India Express, the low-cost international arm of Air India, plans to hire around 40 expat commanders including instructors and examiners following the implementation of the new flight and duty time limitation and rest requirements. The hiring has been necessitated due to a new Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR), which bars pilots from operating two consecutive night flights, sources said. “After the new CAR, the rest period for the pilots has almost gone double as they cannot operate flights for two consecutive nights. Consequently, pilots’ requirement has also gone up by nearly 30 per cent,” an Air India Express official told PTI. Last August, DGCA introduced the new civil aviation regulation (CAR) to replace the rules in effect since 1992. AIE has already implemented these new regulations from February 15, the official said.
News Date : 3/27/2012
Source : The Star.com
Looming pilot shortage prompts training upgrade
Sheridan College and the Brampton Flying Club announced a new partnership on Wednesday that will allow students to earn a business degree and their commercial pilot’s licence in the same four years.
“More and more airlines are looking to go beyond just flying experience when it comes to hiring. A solid post-secondary education will give young pilots an edge when they walk in the door for that first flying job interview,” said Allan Paige, president of the Brampton Flying Club, which operates out of the Brampton Flight Centre. The partnership is in response to anticipated demand for new pilots in coming years. Airplane manufacturer Boeing estimates as many as 460,000 new pilots will be needed worldwide within the next 20 years as existing pilots retire and as demand for air travel increases in countries like India and China. North America alone will need another 82,800 pilots, according to Boeing. The statistics are in line with figures from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) released in March, which predict that the number of commercial aircraft will increase from 61,833 to 151,565 in the next 20 years. Departures are expected to double in the same period to almost 52 million. The ICAO projected an increase of more than two million jobs for pilots, maintenance personnel and air traffic controllers by 2030. “Aviation in India and China is booming,” said Sheridan College president Jeff Zabudsky. “There will be this voracious appetite for pilots.” Students in the new program will take accounting and finance courses and learn to fly. They will graduate with a bachelor of applied business (Global Business Management) and a pilot’s licence. The program will cost about $18,000 a year for a total cost of $75,000 over four years. Pilots in their first year on the job earn as little as $20,000. Experienced pilots flying large commercial passenger jets earn about $250,000 a year. Large carriers, like Air Canada, require about 10 years of experience in the pilots it hires, says Paul Howard, communications officer for the union representing Air Canada pilots.
