India may need 5,000 new pilots in the next five years - claim

Airline Industry Information, Feb 23, 2006

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Indian aviation officials have warned of a shortage of commercial airline pilots.

The growth of the Indian commercial aviation market could encounter difficulties as pilots are not being trained fast enough to meet demand.

Dinesh Keskar, Boeing's senior vice president for commercial aircraft sales, has reportedly stated that there is "a tremendous shortage of pilots in India".

According to The Associated Press, Keskar also said that India will probably need 4,000-5,000 new pilots in the next five years.

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