Boeing says India may need 31,000 pilots in 20 years as aircraft deals to open up numerous aviation jobs

US President Joe Biden earlier said the Air India deal would provide “over a million American jobs across 44 states”. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also tweeted: “With wings from Broughton and engines from Derby, this deal will support jobs around the country and help deliver one of our five priorities — growing the economy.” The deal is not just expected to create jobs in the US and the UK but in India as well. According to agency reports, Air India will need more than 6,500 pilots to operate the 470 aircraft it is acquiring.

Vistara currently has 54 aircraft and as per Deepa Chadha, senior vice-president of HR and corporate affairs, the airline is on course to take the number up to 70 aircraft by end of 2024.

“We have already gone from 4,000+ employees at the start of this fiscal year to having a 5,000+ strong workforce today and look forward to further strengthening our employee count across almost all functions with operational roles taking the lead, including cabin crew, pilots, engineers, security and ground services amongst others,” Chadha said.

Srikanth H V, associate professor and head of the Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology, Bangalore, told CNBC-TV18.com that the total direct plus indirect jobs created for a narrow-body aircraft alone is around 400 and for a wide-body plane, the same is 600-700.

"If this is added to the new jobs that will be created in aligned sectors like manufacturing, over 2,00,000 direct and indirect jobs are likely to be created in India,” he said.

As per Srikanth, there would be vacancies for direct positions including pilots, cabin crew, and technical and non-technical staff. Indirect staff supporting the aircraft including airport staff, air traffic controllers, transport vendors, service providers, and others will also be needed.

"The deal will open up the use of aircraft at newly developing airports in India. Maintainance jobs will be in demand. Procurement of a large number of aircraft will also help the manufacturing sector to produce LRUs (replaceable, complete functional units)," he said.

Ajoy Thomas, VP and Business Head, TeamLease Services, said there will be a rise in ground operations, customer service, and cabin crew jobs. “This and the next quarter, the aviation sector is expected to hire 20 percent more people as a result of additional aircraft purchases,” Thomas said.

There will also be openings for mechanics and technicians for aircraft and avionics equipment, air traffic controllers and engineers.

Experts also suggest that MSMEs in India, particularly those in the aerospace hub of Bengaluru, will see a boom, thus generating local employment opportunities. “With most industries in Bengaluru being direct or indirect suppliers to Airbus, there will be a rise in job opportunities there,” said Srikanth.

In terms of skill, MRO maintenance repairs and overhaul will be one of the top skills in demand as the production of the Airbus fleet will require skilled engineers to maintain the aircraft.

"There will be a rise in demand for manufacturing skills, as well as structural analysis and competition analysis software skills to analyse the strength of the materials. Additionally, artificial intelligence and machine learning skills are expected to be in high demand,” Srikanth added.

Experts believe the deals can not only result in more airline jobs but will also aid the tech, manufacturing and logistics sectors.

“New technologies require modern aircraft knowledge, problem-solving and communication skills for safe air travel. With such exciting growth, the aviation industry offers a promising future for those looking to take their career to new heights,” said Aditya Narayan Mishra, managing director and CEO of CIEL HR Service.

As per Lohit Bhatia, president of Workforce Management of Quess Corp, new infrastructure and technology will be necessary for the expansion of the aviation industry after the deals, which in turn will require a skilled workforce. "So, the need for engineers, technicians, and other aviation professionals will increase," Bhatia said.

Last year, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in the Lok Sabha that the Indian aviation industry will likely give employment to 100,000 people by 2024.

Sekhar Garisa, CEO of foundit (previously Monster APAC & ME), said various players in the aviation industry are investing to leverage India’s presidency and drive growth.

"The sector has also seen an uptick in demand owing to new airports and travel routes. Job opportunities in the sector are expected to see 11 percent growth by June 2023. While in FY21, the sector accounted for close to 40 million jobs, it is slated to create 46 million jobs by 2025," Garisa said.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation reported that after the Covid crisis in 2020 and 2021, aviation passenger traffic in India grew by 47 percent to 123.2 million passengers in 2022.

Airbus already organised an open meet-and-greet session at Aero India 2023 in Bengaluru to hire engineering and IT talent. The international aerospace company said that the drive was a part of a global initiative, as part of which it plans to hire more than 13,000 people for its industrial ramp-up, in addition to its ambitious decarbonisation roadmap and preparations for the future of aviation.

After China and the US, India is the third-largest air passenger market in the world. According to experts, the sector will continue to grow strongly as a result of the increase in demand.

Meanwhile, Nishant Pitti, CEO and Co-founder, EaseMyTrip also pointed out that the commercial fleet in India currently stands at around 700 aircrafts, which is small in comparison to the potential present within the aviation sector. Passenger traffic in this particular segment is projected to grow at a rate of 6.2 percent annually by 2040, significantly more than the global average of 3.9 percent.

He added that in terms of domestic ticket sales, India is already the world’s third largest aviation market, and its inexorable growth will require an extra 34,000 pilots and 45,000 technicians to match an ever increasing demand of 4.3 percent annually.

Moreover, challenges pertaining to air traffic management, handling of baggage, monitoring technology and maintenance will become evident with growth in the aviation sector, which will become a major employer for the Indian economy in the coming years.