Boeing to Get a USD 80 billion Order from India: Pilot Demand to be Boosted Big Time
There is significant buzz that India could place one of the largest single-country orders with the aircraft manufacturing giant,
There has never been so much talk about the Indian aviation sector as there is now. There is significant growth in this sector and many positives, but there’s more. Where there are green flags, there are red flags as well, and the Indian aviation industry is not an exception. There are certain red flags that need to be mitigated to improve the industry's position. In this blog, we will discuss recent red flags and how to mitigate them.
A plane crash is one of the most unfortunate things that can happen in the industry. There were multiple aircraft crashes recently. The Air India crash in June 2025 killed 241 people, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. Another crash in January 2026 killed Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra’s Deputy CM. There is considerable speculation about why these accidents occurred, and investigations are ongoing.
To mitigate this red flag, regulations can be further strengthened and a greater focus placed on aviation training and aircraft maintenance. With greater focus on these aspects, we can hope these accidents don’t occur in the future.
Another major red flag in the industry is the current shortage of pilots and aviation staff, with vacancies ranging from DGCA positions to air traffic controller roles. The total count of sanctioned posts in the DGCA is 1,630. Approximately half of these posts are vacant. Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, explained to the Parliament on February 12. Of 1,630 posts, 441 were created from 2022 to 2024, in line with the future expansion of civil aviation as part of the DGCA restructuring.
The minister said the deficit had not affected these organizations’ operations. But the DGCA was lately caught in a storm over IndiGo flight cancellations in December last year, after which the DGCA also sacked four of its officials.
Setting aside DGCA vacancies, the strength in the most crucial area, air traffic control, is also well below the stipulated level. The Airports Authority of India manages air traffic through an allowed strength of 5,537 controllers. But under a quarter of that number, or 1,279 posts are currently vacant.
The minister said that all staffing methods are being implemented rigorously to ensure the timely and continuous availability of the required manpower. Efforts are also underway to recruit through short-term contractual hiring to address vacancies arising from factors such as insufficient responses to advertisements, non-joining of selected candidates, insufficient responses to deputation posts and others.
To mitigate this issue, adequate measures should be taken for staffing; more and more pilots and other staff should be employed.
Airports have developed a Wildlife Hazard Management Plan to identify the primary causes of bird strikes. These comprise deploying bird-detection and deterrence technologies to mitigate bird-strike incidents. Also, Airfield Environment Management Committees are in place at airports to identify wildlife hazards and implement essential controls. Despite this, incidents of bird hits are on the rise. From 775 in 2021, such incidents went up to 1,782 in 2025.
The aviation industry of India is on the rise. The number of airports has also doubled in the past 10 years. In 2015, there were 80 airports; as of October 2025, there were 163 operational airports. Given the increase, India needs a robust safety system in the aviation industry, as a small error could cost hundreds of lives.
With a staff shortage in the industry, there is a need for an increased number of pilots, so if you are looking to become a pilot and take an entry into the aviation sector, come to us at FlapoOne Aviation.
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