Tuesday, August 2 2005 18:34 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Air India has recruited 27 foreign pilots on contract in the last three years due to shortage of qualified pilots on various aircraft types, the Rajya Sabha was informed today (Aug 2, 2005).

The salaries offered to Indian pilots are in the range of Rs three lakh to Rs five lakh per month (including allowances) whereas the foreign pilots are being paid consolidated salary from Rs 2.61 lakh to Rs 4.00 lakh per month depending on the aircraft being operated by them, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Praful Patel said in a written reply.

Accidents: During the last two years, there were 15 accidents involving Indian civil registered aircraft, the Minister said.

The major reasons for these accidents were decision error of the pilots, poor crew coordination, mechanical/technical problems, poor maintenance, lack of experience and weather disturbance, he said.

Parking space: There is a shortage of parking space in some airports of the country, Patel said.

Indian Airlines: During 1997-98, the market share of Indian Airlines was 65.4% and 37.1% in the year 2004-05, the Minister said.

The Airlines proposes to undertake fleet augmentation/renewal to increase its capacity share so as to increase its market share. Marketing and inflight initiatives, service upgrades on the ground and improvements in cabin ambience are the other measures being taken by the Airlines to improve its market share, the Minister said.