India's aviation industry is expanding rapidly which means increasing demand for skilled pilots. According to a recent article on What Is the Demand for Pilots in India in the Coming Years many airlines have ordered over 1,700 new aircraft. At the same time air travel both domestic and international is rising sharply as more people choose flying for convenience.
This expansion includes not only big commercial jets but also more regional flights connecting smaller cities and towns as the government pushes for improved regional connectivity and more airports. Because of all this growth industry experts estimate that India will need thousands of new pilots every year for the next 5-10 years.
As new aircraft join the fleet airlines will need fresh pilots immediately if pilot training and licensing don't keep up, there will be a gap between aircraft and qualified crew.
The shortage may start to hurt airlines in the next 3-7 years when existing pilots retire or move abroad, and new demand from regional routes and aircraft delivery peaks.
The risk is higher for experienced pilots or type rated captains especially for wide body or international flights. While there may be many fresh CPL license holders airlines often need pilots with additional ratings and experience shortage at this senior level could lead to operational bottlenecks.
For airlines a pilot shortfall could mean: delayed aircraft deployment increased dependence on foreign pilots, higher costs to attract/retain experienced crew, and even scaling back expansion plans. For aspiring pilots this growth period could mean good opportunities especially for those who complete proper training, get type ratings and gain experience. There could be a shortage not just of fresh pilots but more urgently of qualified and experienced pilots.