According to the latest data by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) 15 per cent of the pilots in India are women which is three times the global average of 5 per cent, the Live Mint reported.
DGCA is India’s airline regulatory body and has released the latest statistics on strength of pilots in the country.
At present, India has no special programme to encourage pilot training for women, SC, and ST communities.
According to the data released by various Indian scheduled airlines, a total of 244 pilots have been recruited in 2021. The report said that India may require 1,000 pilots per annum over the next five years.
The DGCA data also shows that there are nearly 10,000 pilots in the country including 67 foreign nationals.
According to the data, there are 35 DGCA-approved Flight Training Organisations (FTOs) in the country that are operating at 53 bases.
A report released by the International Society of Women Airline Pilots on gender equality in the airline industry in 2021 highlighted that at 12.4 per cent, India ranked top in gender equality at the flight deck, followed by Ireland at 9.9 per cent, South Africa at 9.8 per cent, Australia at 7.5 per cent, Canada at 7 per cent, Germany at 6.9 per cent, USA 5.5 per cent, and UK at 4.7 per cent.
Another study on Gender Differences In General Aviation Crashes analysed plane and helicopter crash data between 1983 and 1997 and highlighted that crash rates for male pilots were found to be higher than that of women.
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